Peninsula, Australian Adventure
by owlfactory
Summary: When Harry, Ron and Ginny accompany Hermione to Australia to find her parents, they didn’t expect to be joined by a surly George, randy Lee Jordon and way too enthusiastic Percy.RHr,HG.
1. Prologue In Which Plans are made

Hey there! So I wanted to write a fun, breezy adventure type story after reading Deathly Hallows and this is it. I've always wanted to write a Road Trip story and with Hermione's parents in Australia all I could think of was 'Road Trip!". DEATHLY HALLOWS SPOILERS. DO NOT READ AHEAD IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS (Though in my opinion if you havn't finished it yet and are browsing fanfiction you're being pretty silly anyway lol)

_When you have nothing more to say, just drive_

_For a day all round the peninsula_

_The Sky is as tall as over a runway._

_The Land without marks so you will not arrive._

_But pass through, though always skirting landfall._

_At Dusk, horizona drink down sea and hill,_

_The ploughed field swallows the whitewashed gable_

_And you're in the dark again. Now Recall._

_Peninsula, Seamus Heaney _

Hermiones' body seemed too weary to move. Her eyes were at the stage where they didn't move and remained still in a sort of painful sleepiness. Her body felt sluggish and drained while her arms seemed to want to remain immobile and still.

It was somewhat brilliant and wrong at the same time.

Mrs Weasley set a cup of coffee in front of her and Hermione stared at it for a long time, almost wishing it would zoom across the table and pour itself down her mouth. Beside her, Ginny stared blearily into her cup of coffee, every so often drifting into sleep again before waking up and realising where she was and that she was looking at a cup of coffee.

Mrs Weasley watched the two girls and smiled thinly at them, something Hermione didn't notice.

It had happened in the three weeks since the end of Voldemort. Hermione had found her body succumbing to the tiredness and groggyiness that she had fought against in the hunt for the Horcruxs'. During their search, Hermione had fought her bodies yells for a longer sleep in, fought her eyes cries to keep reading the book Dumbledore had given her, fought all sense in her head that told her she needed to go to sleep instead of staying up and worrying, planning and plotting.

When Voldemort had been defeated, when she had had a chance to get to sleep, Hermione had fallen asleep the minute her head had hit the pillow. Sleep had consumed her completely and she had woken up the next day with a wonderful feeling of grogginess and tiredness. Her brain had scrambled to think about the Horcruxs' when it had clicked: There were none. Voldemort was dead. Since sleep had become so easy now, Hermione had craved it whenever she could, almost longing for it, having been denied it for so long.

Sleepily picking up her cup of coffee, Hermione sipped it up in her mouth thinking, relishing in the smell it sent up her nostrils and through her body.

She supposed her love of sleeping had somewhat to do with Ron. Ron and the comfort he and the bed seemed to bring.

There had been funerals to attend, countless funerals to attend. They had been people who Hermione had known well and loved. Each one had been a painful torture to attend, rather like being back with Bellatrix at the Malfoy Manor. This time however, she couldn't be rescued.

Each funeral had put a strain on Hermione. She felt that she had cried so many times now that it would be impossible for her to cry anymore. Her tiredness and grogginess came partly from the strain of the funerals and the emotional hell it brought. Ron had been her saving grace.

While they suffered with the loss of Fred, the Weasleys had failed to notice that after sharing a room for a couple of days after the war, Harry and Ginny now slept together in Ginnys room while Ron and Hermione curled up together in Rons' bed. It had started the first night that Voldemort had died, when Ron had crawled into Hermiones' bed wordlessly after spending some time with his family. He hadn't said anything but buried his head in her shoulder and pulled her close to him. It had all been about Fred, but Hermione hadn't said a thing. With every funeral they went too, they would both curl up beside each-other, comforting each-other. Only on one night had Ron curled up beside his little sister making Mrs Weasley get all teary at how big her babies were.

Downing her coffee, Hermione got to her feet again, Ginny still sitting at the table and now asleep with her head on the table. Mrs Weasley watched her youngest with a small smile as she cleaned some dishes in silence. She looked away slowly and gazed out at the bright sunny day that stood before the house and gazed out at it with a sleepy sort of happiness. Her eyes were tainted with sadness and longing but there was hopefulness in Mrs Weasleys eyes that had started to creep in the past couple of days. Mrs Weasley was looking out towards the future and in that she was happy.

Hermione walked slowly out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards the top of the house. Her footsteps felt loud in the stillness, but the house was too sleepy to care.

Most of the funerals where over now and life at the Burrow had turned into a sort of sleepy holiday camp were everybody slept until late and hung about lazily in the house, some occasionally going back to sleep again.

It was like life had gone on hold since Voldemorts defeat, nobody knowing what to do now that he was gone for good. Life had been stopped for the funerals that had taken place and now that they were over, it was like everyone was taking a well earned rest. The house was more silent than it had ever been.

Hermione reached the top of the house and pushed the door open. Ron was lying on his side, his face nearly up against the wall. He was breathing heavily threw his nose, his chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm. Hermione slowly crawled in beside him and wrapped her arms around his middle, her face pressing into his back and her body curling around his frame. Ron made a sleepy noise and turned on his side so that he was facing her. He pulled her close into him and wrapped his arms around her body with his eyes closed. Hermione settled into him and closed her eyes with contentment.

And there was silence. After 19 years.

** Prolouge-In which Plans are made. **

It was Hermione who breached the topic of course. Waking up one morning with Rons' head buried in her shoulder she had looked up at the ceiling and made the snap decision that it was time she went to Australia. She told Mr and Mrs Weasley, Harry Ron and Ginny at breakfast what she wanted to do and was greeted with blank faces. Ron blinked at her rapidly over his cornflakes and Harry was caught off guard while eating toast.

"Australia?"

Ginny looked at her in surprise. Hermione wondered if Ginny had thought she would be heading out to look for her parents at a much later date. Perhaps her silence on the whole thing had given out that impression.

Hermione nodded fervently at Ginny's question and looked at each person in the room firmly.

"I think I should go now." She said to the room at large.

Ron and Harry looked surprised and raised eyebrows at each-other. In sync, they folded their arms and looked at her pointedly.

"Erm, Hermione," said Harry, "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Hermione blinked over at her best friends and their eyebrows rose further in a pointed manner. She rolled her eyes and glared at them exasperatly.

"Of course you two are coming!" she cried to them, "You think I'd leave you behind to fend by yourselves?"

Honestly. Hermione couldn't imagine her two friends staying behind while she went to look for her parents. The three of them where so used to being together that Hermione imagined that they would feel as lost as she would if they where separated. She wasn't leaving Ron either, not when they had just begun their new relationship. No, Hermione wanted to go on this trip with her friends. Both of them where now smirking at her, sniggering at her comments that they would be lost without her.

"What d'you think we'd do if you weren't here Hermione?" asked Harry, "Die?"

"You've done that already this year mate." Said Ron with a smirk, "Though it'd be rather amusing to see you come to a sticky end while at my house. It'd put a damper on the old legacy wouldn't it?"

"Boy-Who-Lived dies by death kamikaze chicken. Mourners are confused with anti-climatic end." Harry grinned, "Has a nice ring to it though don't it?"

Hermione rolled her eyes as Harry and Ron chortled with laughter and Ginny giggled. Mr Weasley chuckled.

"Of course you wouldn't die!" she said to them, "And I can take care of myself perfectly well!"

"You never know," Ron said to her with a smirk, "You might have a run in with a killer Kangaroo."

Hermione glared at her boyfriend.

"Of course I wouldn't! That's just what I was about to say-"

"What? You could have a run in with a Kangaroo? "

Hermione groaned in exasperation as Ron grinned at her teasingly and Harry giggled like a child.

They _were_ such children. Voldemorts death had caused both boys to become hyper and excitable since then. It happened in small bursts, after a funeral or when they sat up late to try and cheer each-other up.

"_Ron!_ –No I was about to say that you and Harry are coming with me!"

"What about me?"

Ginny, who had been laughing turned to Hermione in sudden indignation, hurt ridden all over her face.

"Well of course you're coming too Ginny!" Hermione told her friend in exasperation.

If she was taking Harry she certainly wasn't going to not take Ginny. The pair were practically attached at the hip these days permanently. They had taken to kissing at inappropriate moments. Making the morning toast resulted in a kiss, cleaning the toilet turned into a romantic cliché. It was causing most of the Weasley brothers to slap Harry round the head. The first time it had happened, Percy Weasley had nearly jumped on Harry, unaware that his youngest sister had been dating Harry previously.

In all the talking and laughing Hermione had forgotten Mr and Mrs Weasley who had been watching the scene slightly startled.

"You're _all_ planning to go off to Australia?" asked Mrs Weasley, looking between them all nervously.

"Course we are. We can't leave Hermione to go off by herself!" said Ron happily, "It'll be like Horcrux hunting…except without the Horcruxs' of course"

Mr Weasley chuckled but Mrs Weasley looked worried. She surveyed each of her children nervously as if one of them would disappear on her and never return.

"Can we go Mum?" Ginny asked hopefully. Mrs Weasley looked at her husband who raised his eyebrows at her sternly a small smile on his face.

"I don't see any reason why you can't" Mrs Weasley said to her children nervously, looking like she regretted her words the instant she said them.

Ron and Ginny looked delighted and beamed at their mother.

"Ron and Ginny can't what?"

They all looked up. Bill Weasley and Charlie Weasley had entered the kitchen covered in dust and looking disgruntled. Now that Hogwarts was in ruins, thanks to the battle that had taken place, many people had been appointed up at Hogwarts to help rebuild it. Bill, Charlie, Percy where among the many who had signed up. There were large cuts on the faces of both Bill and Charlie and they looked exhausted.

Mrs Weasley looked up at her eldest sons and smiled at them affectionately.

"Your brother and sister are going to Australia with Harry and Hermione" she told Bill and Charlie brightly.

"Seriously?"

A new voice had entered the kitchen and they all looked up. Lee Jordon had entered the kitchen closely followed by Percy Weasley and a rather glum looking George Weasley. George had signed up to the Hogwarts programme despite the protests of his family. It was pretty obvious that it was because he wanted to occupy himself with something.

Lee Jordon had signed up to the Hogwarts programme too.Since Freds death, Lee had been a prominent figure at the Weasley household hanging around with George to give him moral support and keep him company. He was at the Burrow almost every day being chirpy, loud and bright.

Lee looked excitedly at the foursome at the table with an open mouth.

"Australia?" he said happily, "What for? A holiday?"

Hermione laughed and said, "No, I'm going to look for my parents"

Lee look confused.

"Oh yeah," murmured Bill as he walked to the sink washing his hands, "I'd forgotten you'd set your parents to Australia Hermione"

"You sent your parents to Australia?" Lee asked Hermione in surprise, sitting at the table too, "What for?"

"To protect them." said Hermione, "They knew quite a bit about Harry."

Lees' eyes widened in awe.

Charlie chuckled and sat down at the table too. Percy remained at the door, watching the group at the table with a thoughtful look on his face. Charlie grinned at Hermione.

"You're a genius Hermione seriously." He told her, "I know Harry beat Voldemort but those two," Charlie nodded at Harry and Ron, "Would have been dead if it hadn't been for you"

Hermione blushed with pleasure as Ron and Harry shared a very proud look. It was a thing she did every time someone complimented her. She couldn't understand the praise that she was given all the time, thinking that really, what she was apparently so good at was something they could all achieve if they worked a bit harder. Harry and Ron especially.

But still, it was wonderful to have people call her amazing and have Ron throw her a glowing look.

Lee however was looking round at each of the foursome with a gleeful look on his face. Grinning, he turned to George with an excited look on his face.

"We should go too!" he said excitedly, "We should go with them to Australia!"

There was a rather blunt silence.

"What?" asked Hermione, completely taken-aback. Ron and Harry looked round at Lee with surprise while Ginny stared at Lee with amusement.

George looked up from where he had been staring at the floor with a blank look on his face and stared at Lee.

"What?" he grunted.

"We should go to Austrailia!" Lee cried, "Go help Hermione find her parents. Surf, relax for a bit, ooogle some women and drink cider!"

"You what?" asked Ron in confusion and George threw a bewildered look at Lee.

Hermione looked at Ginny fleetingly, panic on her face. She hadn't bargained on this.

Hermione didn't exactly know what to do. She hadn't really wanted or expected anybody else to come along let alone Lee Jordon and George! She had almost thought of it as a slight chance for her Harry and Ron to relax for a bit with Ginny, by themselves.

"Well," she said awkwardly to Lee, "It'll be really boring. I don't' know where my parents are-"

"Nonsense!" cried Lee happily, "It'll be great fun!"

Hermione mouthed wordlessly at him and threw a helpless look at Ron who chuckled.

George seemed to feeling the same way as Hermione because he looked miserable at the thought of going anywhere.

"Don't be stupid," he told Lee, "I couldn't go to Australia. I don't want to plus, Hermione wouldn't want us."

Hermione flustered and went pink in the face.

"Of course not!" she cried to George, "I mean, I had planned on it being just us four but-" Hermione mouthed wordlessly, "It doesn't mean-other people can't come"

Her last statement drifted off into a mumble as George looked grumpy.

"It could be really boring" Hermione told George earnestly.

George looked back at Lee triumphantly, "See." He said slowly, "It'll be dull"

Lee looked crestfallen but to Hermiones surprise, Bill spoke.

"I think Lees' got a point George" he said to his youngest brother, "I think you should go"

Everyone looked at George who looked angry under all the scrutiny.

George looked at Bill with a sour look on his face, "I can't be bothered." He said to his older brother, "Seriously, I'd just love to go to bed"

Bill opened his mouth to argue back but Charlie got there first. Mr and Mrs Weasley watched the whole scene with wide eyes.

"George you've been asleep for weeks now," said Charlie firmly, "You need to get up and do something. Get out and relax for a bit"

George looked furious. Hermione sat helpless in her seat, unable to step in and say something.

Underneath the talking and the persuading George to go with the foursome to Australia was the underhanded factor: Fred.

Two spaces of existence had sprung up in Georges life since his twins death: Hogwarts rebuilding and the Burrow to sleep. It was becoming routine and if he didn't get out of it, George never would. Both Bill and Charlie where looking defiantly at George, sending this message to him.

George seemed unsettled by the looks and fixed his eldest brothers with a defiant look.

"I'm not going!" he protested, "It's ridiculous! Hogwarts needs to be rebuilt and -"

"George you know they can manage without you" said his father quietly.

George spluttered, at a loss for words.

"Come on mate!" cried Lee excitedly, "its Australia! It's sunny! The women practically live in bikinis!"

"Really?" asked Ron with interest.

George looked at his mother helplessly and for support. Mrs Weasley however only smiled at her son encouragingly.

George let out a frustrated groan.

"Come on mate!" cried Lee, "It'll be fun. You can't tell me you want to stay in miserable old England! And Hermione doesn't mind! Don't you?"

Everyone in the room looked at her expectantly. Harry, Ron and Ginny grinned wickedly at her.

Hermione opened her mouth and closed it again. She hadn't planned on any of this. It was certainly a change. Everyone was looking at her and Ron and Harry were throwing her pleading looks. Ginny raised her eyebrows at her grinning.

"Well-Of course-Of course I don't mind!" she cried, resigning to the fact that she couldn't argue.

Oh well, she thought wearily, it could be fun.

Lee cheered and beamed at George, "See! You can't say no!"

George looked miserable.

"Brilliant!" said Ron happily, beaming at George, "This is going to be a right laugh!"

Ginny was beaming at George now and Harry settled back in his seat looking content and happy. Hermione looked at Ron who winked at her. Hermione had to chuckle lightly.

This was certainly going to be interesting.

"I want to go too"

It was Percy who spoke. His whole family swivelled their heads towards with surprise. Percy was looking defiantly at his family his chest sticking out in a proud manner that showed he wasn't to be argued with.

"You want to go to Australia too?" George demanded incredulously, forgetting he had been sullen and grumpy.

Percy looked annoyed; "Of course I want to go!" he cried hotly, "Why wouldn't I?"

They all stared at him.

"But Perce," said Charlie, "Don't you want to stay and help? Not that you have to but-"

"I want to go" said Percy firmly, now fixing the whole room with a defiant look and speaking in the voice he usually reserved for lecturing them all, "If Lee and George can go then I want to go too. I don't need to give an explanation just because you all just realised I have a personality. Something which by the way I have had for years."

Everyone looked at Hermione.

"Well," she spluttered, "I don't see any reason why not-"

"I want to spend time with brothers and sister." Said Percy in a pompous manner, "I've been an awful arse this past two years and I want to make up for it!"

Ron and Ginny looked staggered.

"Percy, every time you talk about "family time" and you it makes me shiver" Ron told his brother.

"Yeah, you aren't going to make us 'Weasley family Holiday' t-shirts again are you?" asked Ginny with a snigger.

Percys eyes widened in reminiscence and looked at Ginny in delight.

"That's not a bad idea" he muttered.

Ginnys smirk faded and she gaped at Percy in horror.

"Besides," said Percy with a gleeful look, "Why do you need t-shirts when we have proper 'Weasley family time!"

Ron and Ginny gaped at Percy in revulsion.

Bill and Charlie smirked.

"Have fun kids" quipped Charlie with a grimace.

"Make sure your t-shirt fits" said Bill with a snigger.

"This is Brilliant!" cried Lee, looking more ecstatic, "The more the better!"

George slumped in his chair and looked like he might throw himself off a cliff.

Hermione looked round at Harry and Ron who beamed at her, looking ecstatic.

Hermione looked out the looked out the window at the outside sunshine, the blue sky and the trees which where blowing slightly in the wind. She sighed. In a matter of minutes, a simple plan had turned into a Holiday, a family bonding session and a chance to look at girls in bikinis. Lee was already talking about buying pink shorts, Percy was excitedly asking how they were going to get there and George was staring at each of them as if he wanted nothing more than to kick them repeatedly.

Mr Weasley was expressing much wistfulness and jealousy that he wasn't going while Mrs Weasley was asking Ron how many pairs of clean underwear he had.

Ginny threw Hermione a knowing smile and Hermione smiled back with a chuckle.

The date was set a week from then that evening. They where going to Australia. One killer of the Dark Lord and his girlfriend. Two killers of Voldmorts Horcruxs'. An over excited ex-Ministry poodle who had never seen a girl out of socks. A randy war veteran and one who would much rather be in his bed drunk on firewhisky.


	2. Chapter One The Start

**Disclaimer: It all belongs to JK. Not me. **

**Harry says a line in this which belongs to the genius's at Potter Puppet Pals. It is in here as a salute to them. **

**Chapter One-In which the Adventure, is about to begin. **

"Honest to God George you need to pack some proper shorts. We're leaving tomorrow. Six hours infact. Trying not to pack will _not _result in us leaving you behind. Deterring your packing will only make us want you to come more and show your shameless scheme for what it is. You should pack shorts, not Wizard robes, and you aren't going to be able to make a break for Hogwarts because we'll just follow you and find you. We miss the flight? We'll apparate you over and don't even try to fight back. We'll set Harry on you. He might be reluctant but it's got to be less frightening than killing Lord Voldemort"

George stared at Percy with the disgruntled look of a bull. Lee, who stood beside Percy, beamed like a kid and grinned at George.

Damm Percy to hell. Dam him in his stripy shorts and Muggle sunglasses which made him look like some sort of overgrown insect who had mated with a bee. He was grinning at George in a maniac way as if that would help George cheer up.

God George missed Fred. He would have laid an insult on Percy in a minute in that get-up. Why was he going to Australia? Why was he putting himself threw this?

"Honestly, George mate," said Lee brightly, staring at George's miserable face,"You'd think you were being told to go and sleep with McGonagall!"

There was a pause.

Lee frowned thoughtfully as George looked at Lee in a revolted manner and Percy looked scandalised.

"On second thoughts," said Lee, "Replace that horrible image with one of someone with pure beauty"

George glared at his best friend and grumbled to himself. He began shovelling his wizarding robes out of his suitcase and onto his bed, now piling all the clothes his mother had forced him to buy for the trip into the suitcase. There where shorts, T-shirts, stupid muggle sandals Hermione had told them all to wear and sunglasses. It was ridiculous. Completely silly and stupid.

They where flying out tomorrow. Catching a very early flight out of Heathrow Airport which meant they had to leave the Burrow at four in the morning and travel into London. The house was ripe with excitement and happiness in anticipation of the rapidly approaching trip ahead.

Everyone except George of course.

"I hear on this earoplane thing they serve food too!"

George looked up from folding his shorts into his case to find Percy in a full tirade about the plane journey tomorrow.

"Apparently, according to _'Weird Muggle inventions : Why the hell did they invent that?'_, an Eeroplane can fly off the ground! Can you imagine? And without magic too! I must take a photo!"

This time George looked up Percy curiously.

"Photo?" he asked, "You bought a camera? A wizarding camera?"

Percy looked very pleased with himself and shook his head.

"Nope. I bought a Muggle Camera! I got Hermione to go and buy me one!" Percy exclaimed happily, "So we can take lots of photographs! Won't it be weird that they won't move?"

George groaned. Percy was going to be awful. He might just have to push him off the Sydney Harbour.

Misery seemed to set into him again, misery he hadn't felt since Freds funeral….

"You're really getting into all this aren't you Percy?" Lee asked happily, finding all of this very funny.

Percy nodded smartly at them all, grinning in a proud way. He tapped his nose conspiritedly, "I do have some surprises in store for you all." He said.

George looked up sharply.

"Perce," he said seriously, "If you bought t-shirts. Or-or fliers or posters or ruddy signposts-"

Percy grinned madly, "Of course not dear brother!" he cried, "You'll see tomorrow morning!" he added in carrying voice of glee.

Georges' face fell in anguish as Percy cackled like a mad thing and left the room with what he must have thought was mysterious exit.

George kicked his bed and hurt his toe.

"Ouch! I swear I might just have to kill him!" he growled and angrily threw a pair of shorts in his suitcase.

Lee chortled.

"It's gonna be one hell of a trip!" he quipped. George glowered at him.

"You need to look on the brighter side of the whole thing mate!" said Lee encouragingly, "Plus, I got something even Percy won't know about"

George looked up frowning.

"What?" he asked apprehensively.

Lee looked all around him and even checked under the bed. Grinning cockily he whipped out a small box from his pocket and shook it at George conspritedly.

"What's that?" George asked in confusion.

Lee smiled proudly.

"This my friend," he said smartly, "Is a condom"

George raised his eyebrows.

"Excuse me?" he asked, "What is that German or something?"

Lee shook his head still grinning.

"_This_, my friend is what you wear when making love to a lady!"

George raised his eyebrows at Lee and sighed patiently. Was his friend eleven or nineteen?

"Lee," he said heavily, "We've been over this. When you-you know-you don't wear anything!" he shot the-thing-a nasty look, "And seriously. What are you, sex on the brain?"

Lee sighed exasperatly.

"It's a muggle thing." He explained, "It stops girls getting pregnant!"

George groaned.

"Lee, we're wizards. We use charms for that" he reminded his friend

"Yeah but if you're in a clinch with a muggle lady you can't just pull out your wand can you?" he said to George in a maddeningly superior tone, "You need one of these! That's what they use. Muggle men. I read about it "_Muggle inventions 2 : Why in Merlins left bum cheek did they invent that?" _

George thought this trip couldn't get any worse. Percy was going to turn up with Weasley family Holiday signposts and accompanying soundtrack and Lee had turned into some sort of randy gerbil.

"Help me" he muttered in desperation as he threw some socks in the suitcase.

"Seriously, it's weird!" cried Lee, "You put it over your-"

"Merlins hat!." George cried, straightening up and glaring at the ceiling. "Lee, I am not having this conversation"

"What, it's interesting?" cried Lee, "It's like laytex or something!"

George felt he might be sick. Why wasn't his brother here? Why wasn't he here so George didn't have to deal with this? Misery was setting in the middle of his stomach.

If the others thought this trip was going to cheer George up it wasn't. He felt more miserable than ever.

"Lee," he said heavily, "Are you planning to bed many women on this trip? Considering that you never have before? Is this some reaction to nearly dying in the war?"

Lee smiled in a manner similar to Gilderoy Lockheart and winked at George, "I just don't know my friend."he said in a mysterious tone.Lee brightened and beamed at George,"Plus you've got to have a pretty big you-know-what for these to work!"

George groaned and banged his head off his bed.

Somebody needed to save him. Right now.

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"We should be packing,"

"So?"

Another kiss. Curse him to hell.

"We need to pack properly. There's lots of stuff I need to put in my suitcase. In order of which day I'm going to wear them-mmf!"

He pressed his lips to her again and Hermione gave in for a moment. Ron had his full body weight pressed on top of her and she was powerless. She should have been checking behind her before he pounced on her. He was like some sort of cat.

Ron was kissing her slowly. Her favourite sort of kiss. It was almost like Ron felt that if he kissed her slowly enough he could kiss her for hours and she wouldn't notice. Whenever he kissed her she felt like she couldn't think because all she could think about was him. Any thoughts of colour coding her packing system in her suitcase went out the window. When Ron kissed her like this, it was with so much tenderness and love in it that Hermione felt like she would melt, almost coming apart. Everything slipped away.

She gripped him tight to her and kissed him back with a little moan. How had they danced round this last year?

Ron broke away and looked at her with a bit of a grumpy expression. Resting his forehead against hers, he pouted a little

"It's not fair," he muttered, "I won't be able to do this soon. We'll be surrounded by the others all the time"

Hermione smiled a little and closed her eyes. It was true. They where leaving tomorrow. In a matter of hours.

"Course we'll be able to do this." She said, "After Ginny and Harry do you really think the others will care if you kiss me occasionally?"

Ron grunted in displeasure at the mention of Harry and Ginny.

"Kissing on top of a flowerbed aint my thing," he said darkly, "I don't care what Harry says about suicidal gnomes…"

Hermione giggled and kissed him on the mouth. Ron sighed happily and kissed her back.

It was as if both of them couldn't believe what was happening between them. That they could be this happy. After all the tension during the Horcrux hunt between the both of them, they had finally begun something they had both know that they wanted from the minute that Ron had gathered her in his arms during Dumbeldore's funeral. After the end of the battle, there had been no need for long speeches or declarations that they both liked each-other, they had just known that they where together, after a four or five year battle to get there.

And to think House-Elves had been the catalyst...

"So where did you say we're going to try first?" Ron asked her, breaking away from their kiss and resting his forehead on hers again.

"Melbourne" murmured Hermione, "I told you. I found a record of six Wilkins living in Australia. Registered since last year. I think we should start in Melbourne and work our way round."

Ron nodded dimly and smiled at her.

"This is going to be so much fun" he told her happily, "It's going to be ace having the others along"

Hermione nodded. It was certainly going to different than what she had originally planned.

Looking up at Ron again she noticed he was staring at her cheek, brushing it lightly with his finger slowly. He looked sad and wistful, his blue eyes distant.

"I wish-"

"I know"

He rolled over taking her with him. Hermione snuggled into him and he curled his body around her. He hugged her body to him and she snuggled her head into his shoulder. Ron often did this when he got upset about his brother. He would pull her to him without speaking and Hermione would know that he was thinking about Fred. It was comforting to him that she was near. Being a man, he wouldn't openly tell her how he felt about the loss of his brother, the only time he had even come close had been at Fred's funeral. Normally however,Ron would maintain a silence about everything in a boyish manner. He usually let his feelings show by touching her and pulling her to him silently for comfort, like he was doing now.

Hermione loved that he needed her this much. She loved that she had him there to hold her when she needed him.

"As long as Harry avoids wardrobes I'll be fine" he told her after a moment's silence. Ron snorted and stroked her hair, "Looking for her high heels." He spat, "As if. What is he, a ruddy cross dresser?"

Hermione smiled and giggled.

This trip was going to be fun.

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Harry looked sheepish and tried to press his shoes into his suitcase.

"It's not like you're leaving him alone. He'll be with his mother"

Ginny who was facing Harry, leaning against the wall with her arms folded, tried to comfort her boyfriend who was being extremely cute and silly.

"I'm his Godfather" Harry said, "It just, sort of feels like I'm leaving him"

"But you aren't"

"Yeah I know that"

Ginny rolled her eyes and laughed

"Then why are you worried?"

Harry shifted his shoulders uncomfortably, realising his mistake.

"I dunno." He muttered, going slightly pink.

Ginny laughed and shook her head. Harry cursed himself for being so insecure.

They where discussing Teddy Lupin. Harrys'godson who Harry would be leaving behind now he was going to Australia. It made Harry feel uncomfortable slightly to know that he was taking off so soon after Remus' and Tonks' death. He was worried Andromeda would think he was heartless and cold for leaving Teddy behind. It made Harry feel very uneasy.

He wondered if it was almost his duty to look after Tonks's mother, as the Godfather. Mrs Tonks had lost her whole family during the war, she would probably want some company.

After Harry had agreed to go to Australia with Hermione, guilt had set in his stomach and ,now, packing up in Ginnys room, he was starting to feel guilty again.

"Harry," said Ginny in a patient voice, "We've been through this. You're guilt complex is a muddled mess and nothing anybody does can get through to you. You're just weird that way."

Harry threw her a withering smile.

"However, what we did discuss after that is that you're guilt complex is a load of Goblin Shit. You have to stop feeling guilty for yourself and worrying about other people and focus on yourself"

Harry laughed.

"Thanks Ginny," he said, "You're quite the speech maker. Lay that Goblin Shit line on McGonagall next year when you graduate"

Ginny beamed.

"Think she'd like it?" she asked brightly.

Harry rolled his eyes and laughed again. He placed his neatly folded t-shirts in his suitcase and looked up at Ginny.

"That's me done" he told her.

Ginny grinned.

"Then we're off aren't we?" she asked happily, "Us and a couple of nutters in car in Australia?"

"Yep" said Harry brightly, "I hope Hermione is as good a driver as she says she is"

He smiled at Ginny and then felt his smile falter.

"What?" asked Ginny nervously.

Harry scratched the back of his head and looked around the room shiftily. He couldn't help it.

"Maybe we could take Teddy with us" he told Ginny weakly.

Ginny groaned in exasperation and marched right up to Harrys' face.

"You're unbelievable." She told Harry, "Are you ever going to think about yourself?"

Harry started and wished Ron was here so they could share a manly 'Stupid Women Look'.

"You're kidding?" he asked Ginny, "I'm not a selfish bastard and I get told off? I thought women liked the whole tender man thing? Another women would find my worrying for baby Teddy cute" he teased.

Ginny grinned at him and Harry thanked whoever the hell was up there that he had Ginny Weasley in his life.

"Harry Potter," said Ginny, "You have never been cute in your life. Right down to the day when you killed Voldemort, slayed a Dragon, broke into Gringotts and cried at Freds' funeral"

"That wasn't cute?" asked Harry with a sad smile at the mention of Freds Funeral.

"Nope," said Ginny, a sad smile crossing her face too, "I don't like you cute. You can fawn over House-elves and babies all you want Potter but face it; you have never been cute and never will be."

Harry laughed. Glad very much that he was not a cute pretty boy and that Ginny loved him for it.

"Not even when I turned up at Kings Cross in my first year all lost and alone?" he teased

Ginny snorted and threw him a teasing smile, "Oh please, you looked small and scrawny and had bad hair." She told him.

Harry shook his head grinning. Teddy would be fine, he told himself. He would be back from Australia in a matter of weeks bearing as many toys for his Godson to play with as he could muster. Teddy Lupin was going to get everything Harry hadn't.

"And besides," said Ginny snidely as she turned to zip up her bag, grinning at him wickedly, "If you carry on with this baby loving thing everyone'll just think you're a schmuck. The thing you don't want is an image of you kissing babies like some sort of stupid politician. You're tragic hero image will be tarnished"

Harry grinned and zipped up his own bag. That wouldn't be a bad thing, he thought.

**The next Morning. **

Threw the darkness, Ginny spotted something that made her fear for her pride.

"Percy? What's in that bag? Why have you got another bag with you?" Ginny shot a sleepy look at the suspicious red backpack that Percy was carrying along with his small black bag to carry on the plane, "Percy. Have you got Weasley Family Holiday type merchandise in that bag?"

Percy chocked in a hurt way.

"Ginerva, what wonderful things I may have in this bag will be revealed all too soon" he told his little sister mysteriously.

"What?" Ron snorted sceptically, "Are you trying to tell us it'll turn into a ruddy funfair complete with dancing clown and an orchestral band?" Ron gasped in mock shock, "Or a 'Cauldron Report outtake edition' Percy spells Cauldron wrong"

"I'll have you know I never made a mistake in my life thank you very much"

"Oh, will you shut up you two I'm trying to drive!" snapped Mr Weasley.

Ron smirked at Percy triumphantly and settled back in his seat. Percy patted his mysterious bag with a satisfied smile.

It was half three at night and Mr Weasley was driving an old Ministry car threw the dark motorway into London. He was gripping the wheel like it would fall off and was looking terrified as he drove. Mrs Weasley sat beside him and she looked perfectly relaxed, an image that was spoilt by her covert looks out the window at the dark night.

They where off. At half two they had all risen out of their beds after a two hour sleep and staggered down the stairs to put their luggage in the back seat of the car while grumbling, groaning and wiping their eyes in tiredness. They had set off for London soon after, the car magically bewitched to drive faster than most muggle cars. They where all crammed into the backseat, trying not to fall asleep on each-other.

Ginny had never been threw London on such a late night. It was eerie to see the streets so empty and quiet that the engine of the car seemed to echo. She was both nervous and excited. Beside her, Harry had fallen asleep against her shoulder, his mouth open and squashed against her shoulder. It was rather funny looking.

"Just keep driving straight Mr Weasley."

Hermione was giving instructions to her father who had no idea where to go. Her dad was getting rather excited and kept jerking the car to the left every time he heard a plane drive overhead. Hermione had pointed out the sound as they had come over the motorway. As the sound had reached their ears, the Weasleys plus Lee, had all ducked beneath their seats, grabbing their hands over their head in terror. Harry had roared with laughter.

Threw the darkness, all they could see of the planes was the bright lights that for some reason where attached to the things that the muggles flied in. Ginny was very excited and couldn't wait to see what the plane properly looked like. She was glad that the idea to apparate over had been scrapped. This was going to be fun.

"Oh look there another one!"

The car veered to the left again and Harry fell sideways onto Rons lap, very close to his crotch.

Ron yelped. Harry yelped as he woke up and realised where he was. Lee roared with laughter.

"I love you mate but I don't love you that much"

"Point taken"

Lee chortled and Ginny giggled as both Ron and Harry seemed to try and put as much space between them as possible. Hermione chuckled.

"Oh look there's another one!"

"Arthur, if you don't keep an eye on the road _I'm_ going to drive"

"Sorry Molly"

_Click! Flash! _

"AH!"

Bright white lights shone in Ginnys face and she was blinded. The car veered to the right. White spots appeared in her eyes and she could hardly see.

"PERCY!" yelled George in anger, "Put the effing camera away!"

"Weasley family photo!" he cried.

"Oh my god!"

"Oh I'm going to _kill_ you!"

George lunged around Lee and attempted to jump on his brother. Percy beamed at his back seat passengers, waving a small muggle camera in his hands.

"It's the first photo of the Holdiay!" he crooned happily.

"Oh somebody slap him!"

SMACK!

"Ouch! Mother, Ginny was aggressive towards me in an angry manner and has hurt my head"

"Mum, Percy is making me uncomfortable with electric objects!"

"Ron invaded my personal bubble" said Harry.

"SHUT UP!"

They all jumped as Mrs Weasley turned around and glared at them with the same sort of look she had given Bellatrix Lestrange before she killed her.

At once, the back seat occupants sat upright and didn't move, keeping their mouths fully clamped. Nobody dared move or talk.

"Humph"

Mrs Weasley gave them all a satisfied glare and turned around in her seat again.

Beside Ginny, Percy lifted up his camera to look at it again.

"Touch the camera Percy and I will hurt you" snapped Mrs Weasley.

Percy squealed and the camera dropped to the floor.

**Heathrow Airport, London. **

The building was bigger than Ron had imagined a sort of greyish building with huge windows and lights.

"Just drive past that Mr Weasley that's just the security building"

Ah.

"_That's_ not the earport?" Ron asked in wonder, staring up at the large building that passed them as his father drove past it.

"No. And it's a planeport Ron." Said Mr Weasley smartly, turning the car around a roundabout.

Ron seen Hermione share a smile with Harry.

"It's an Airport Mr Weasley." She said kindly, "And if you just turn up there"

His father blushed and turned the car up a long driveway. Cars lay on either side of the large carpark, packed into parking spaces like matches. Ron couldn't for the life imagine what it would be like getting into one of those.

He turned to look at Ginny who was gaping out the window to stare at the dimly lit place that was Heathrow Airport. From what Ron could see, it was an odd place. Full of cars and lights, small buildings that seemed to be scattered across the whole area. It wasn't how Ron had imagined it. He had an idea of an airport being a somewhat small place with lots of planes, whatever they looked like, lined up in rows like owls in an owlery. Ron imagined that you could pick whicever plane you wanted and casually stroll on. He thought that a plane, being a muggle invention, would be pretty funny and odd. Ron couldn't wait to get on one. His excitement for the whole thing was growing within him, he was going away, practically, on holiday with his girlfriend, best friend and family. It was going to be brilliant.

Mr Weasly turned up another large driveway and then left again. They passed a number of large buildings which where seated alongside a long stretch that was behind a fence. There where small lights on the driveway that lit it up like a Christmas tree, small signs where placed on stretches of grass that appeared in patches along the driveway, meaning things Ron had no idea about.

"Why don't we go up that driveway?" Ron asked, staring out at the vast stretch of land.

"That's the runway," Harry said, staring out at the runway, "That's where the planes take off"

"Oh really?" came his fathers excited voice, "Where?"

He turned around in his seat and took his hands off the wheel.

"Dad!" Ginny yelled, as the car took a turn to the left and towards a signpost.

His dad yelped and turned around again, grabbing the wheel to stopping the car from crashing. Luckily, the car veered away from the signpost and they continued their journey down the road again, his mother scolding his father for his mistake.

Ron shared a smile with Harry who was trying hard not to laugh. Ron did love his father but he was a little too obsessed with Muggles. Not that Ron wasn't excited about seeing the Muggles planes as well. It would be very interesting to see how they managed to fly without magic, and quite amusing as well.

They drove on for another while until they turned down a large road off to their right.

And stretched out in front of Ron, was Heathrow Airport.

It was not as big as Hogwarts but it was huge enough. It was a large building made of glass and shimmering with lights. Cars and taxis where moving in and out of it like clockwork, even though it was very early in the morning. People tore past them with suitcases in their hands, some heading towards their cars looking miserable, others looking excited as they dragged their luggage towards the airport. From the roof of the building stood large poles of different colours which rose to the skies, lights blinking from them excitedly.

"Look! It's a plane!"

It was Ginny who cried out as the largest object Ron had ever seen, bar a giant, came flying over the airport, tilted towards the sky. It was huge and metallic, lights blazing from its large wings which would have been the size of Rons house.

"Look Molly!" cried his father, "Look it's a plane!"

His mother rolled her eyes and told him to keep an eye on the road. Mr Weasly could barely contain his excitement and with much difficulty, turned his head to try and find a parking space. Ron gaped up at the large object as it soared into the air, fascinated. George was pressing his nose up against the window to watch it and Lee was gaping with his mouth open at the sight of the plane. Harry looked excited and nervous at the same time. Ginny was beaming at her surroundings.

Eventually, they where parked. The adventure before them all seemed to spread out in front of them as they each grabbed their suitcases.

Not Australia, Heathrow Airport.

So read and Review please! My next update should be in about two or three weeks as I'm off to Barcelona to practise my very weak Spanish lol. I'm taking DH with me as I don't think I can stop re-reading it lol.


	3. Chapter two Heathrow Airport Adventure

**Thanks to anyone who reviewed lol. In reply to some questions, Lee Jordon was thrown in because I thought he would probably be sticking around with George after Freds death. I didn't want George to be by himself. **

**Thanks to my little sister who helped me with stupid spelling problems. The filter coffees' for you. **

** Chapter Two- In which the Adventure of Heathrow Airport takes place.**

They had been standing for at least a minute when Mrs Weasley began to get impatient.

"Marvellous. Genius isn't it Molly?"

"Yes it is Arthur, now could we actually move?"

Mr Weasley grinned widely and moved towards the front doors of the airport where he had been standing staring up at the building before him, his children standing around him. Mrs Weasley looked very relieved at his decision to move.

They had all been walking towards the front doors when the building itself seemed to grip the Weasleys in a trance, they had all stopped to stare up at the building with open mouths and eyes.

Percy had taken many photos. Too many photos.

The look of Heathrow was so vastly different from what Wizards where used to Harry was sure that it was surely the weirdest thing that any of them had seen before.

They all moved towards the front doors where Harry, Hermione and Lee were standing waiting for them. Harry had found it rather funny to look at the Weasleys' excited faces as they stared at the airport as if it was something out of this world. He thought their faces might look quite similar to his own when he had first seen Hogwarts for the first time.

Well, except George's face of course.

The remaining twin was filled with misery and anger as he stared up at Heathrow with much contempt in his face. He kept glancing longingly at the car in the car park as if he wanted to go back in it. It was only with a little groan of resignation that he moved towards the terminal, the last person to do so.

They dragged their suitcases with them on a trolley Hermione had found in the car park and walked through a small entrance hall, littered with vending machines and more trolleys. Mrs Weasley looked very nervous as she walked along, glancing all around her as Muggles moved past her with lots of luggage. Mr Weasley was the complete opposite and was practically bouncing off the walls, looking rather like he would wet himself at being in a place full of muggles. The others where looking apprehensive and excited at the same time. Only George looked at his surroundings in misery and anger.

Harry felt a huge bubble of excitement as he moved through the large doors which moved apart electronically, (Mr Weasley gave an excited gasp at that one), and into Heathrow airport. He had never been on a plane before and was very excited about finally getting to go on one. Happiness was settling in his stomach, the feeling of having no Dark Lord to worry about taking some getting used to.

They walked through a couple of long corridors and doorways until they reached the check-in area which was bustling with quite a few people. Harry gazed around at the airport with interest.

The ceiling in the airport was about the same height as the Great Hall in Hogwarts, the voices of the people inside seemed to reverberate off the walls and around the room. The wizards literally stopped and stared open mouthed at their surroundings, jumping at the large voice-over on the intercom which echoed across the terminal. They stared at the large advertisement billboards and video advertisements on the big screen. People passed them speaking in Japanese, German and Arabic. Loud American teenagers laughed as they walked passed them and into the check-in area. A couple from Liverpool argued as they dragged their three year old daughter towards a check-in desk, looking like they'd hardly slept at all.

"Wow!"" Lee cried happily, gazing happily at the massive check-in hallway with the many different airline check-in desks dotted around the walls.

"I must say what a charming place!" cried Percy happily, "Ingenious things muggles are!"

"What a strange place" said Mrs Weasley as a women spoke over the loud-speaker and cried, "Last Call, last call for flight 188 to Malaga, Spain. Last call, last call for flight 188 to Malaga, Spain"

"What on earth is that?" cried Ginny, looking around in wonder for the voice.

"That's just the intercom," explained Hermione, "To call people for their flight"

Ginny looked terrified. "It sounds like Voldemort," Harry heard her mutter. With a shiver, he too remembered the sound of Voldemorts voice echoing across the Hogwarts ground on the night of the battle. It had almost been like an intercom.

Harry grinned suddenly without stopping himself.

Maybe he should have let Voldemort win and made him come to work in Heathrow as a voice over manager. He would have loved that.

And as Hermione led them off towards a check-in desk across the hall, Harry imagined with a chuckle Voldemort saying with much anger and humiliation in his high pitched voice, "Last call, last call boarding for flight 113 to Alicante, Portugal you stupid Muggles. No not bloody New York you _stupid_ American. If I had my wand…"

And Harry burst out laughing.

"What?" grunted George, looking at Harry sideways in a surly manner.

"Nothing." Said Harry, trying to repress his laughter, "I'll tell you all later"

And he giggled again as he imagined Voldemort having to deal with Muggles at the British Airways tourist desk and glaring in contempt as some Germans shouted at him for messing up their seating arrangements.

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Hermione told herself not to be nervous as she approached the check-in desk for British Airways, leading the group across the hall. The check-in desk was not open yet and they found themselves in a long cue including large families and a young man carrying a number of large suitcases and wearing a bandana. Most people looked irritable and sleepy, glancing angrily at the check in desk and rummaging around in their bags to check that their belongings where still there.

The Weasleys had followed Hermione all the way to the check-in desk with wide eyes and staring in avid amazement at their surroundings.

Hermione thought she knew what to do. Kingsley had booked the flights through the Ministry of Magic after the Weasleys, Harry, Lee and Hermione had sent their money to a muggle bank account, set up especially to pay for the trip. Kingsley had booked the flights on British Airways, sending Hermione all the flight details and times via owl. As a gift, he had written to her, he had paid for the hired car Hermione had been hoping to rent when they got over there. He had been further helpful in that he had managed to set up a Muggle bank account for each of the group travelling to Australia. An amount of money from each of their Gringotts accounts had been sent to their temporary muggle accounts and they had each been given Muggle debit cards in which to withdraw money. Hermione had been flattered whenever she had read Kingsleys letter, grateful that he had been so helpful.

She just hoped that she knew what to do when she checked in. Hermione had never done it before. It had always seemed like an adult thing to do.

"What do we do now?" Lee asked in a confused voice, staring at the check-out desk in front of him.

"Yeah, why are we standing?" asked Ron, "Why aren't we getting on a plane?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"We need to check in first." She explained to Ron and his family, "So they know we're here. They'll give us our tickets as well and direct us to the proper gate to catch our plane"

Ron looked confused.

"We can't just walk onto an aeroplane then?" asked Mr Weasley, sounding disappointed "I would love to get on one"

"You can't." said Hermione sheepishly, "There's a lot of security around planes at the moment"

"Oh well" said Mr Weasley, "I'll get on one some other time"

And he looked longingly at the departures screen.

"Will we have to wait long?" asked Ginny, looking at the cue which they where now standing in.

"Hopefully not" said Hermione, glancing nervously at the check in desk and the long cue. She hoped check in wouldn't take long. Hermione was hoping that the Weasleys, Lee and Harry would enjoy this experience and not be bored. She was the one taking them on this trip and she hoped it would turn out to be quite fun, apart from the fact that she was trying to find her parents. Percy seemed to be enjoying himself thoroughly and was peering eagerly at the Muggles in front of them rather avidly. One man was trying to edge away from Percy with a nervous look on his face.

George, who was standing beside Ginny, threw Hermione a mulish look and shoved his hands in his pockets, the only person not looking excited. Hermione expected that he was holding her responsible for the fact that he had to go on this trip, seeing how it was her idea. Hermione hoped that he wouldn't hold it against her. She almost thought it might have been the best thing for George to stay at home.

They milled around for another couple of minutes when Mrs Weasley sighed heavily.

"Well I guess we shall go on then" she said sadly, "I don't think there's any point in us staying if we can't go in with you"

Mr Weasley nodded in agreement and looked longingly out of the windows of the terminal.

The goodbyes were exchanged, quite tearfully in the case of Mrs Weasley. She hugged each of her children, Harry, Hermione and Lee tightly. George hugged her very tightly and said pleadingly, "Take me home. Please"

Mrs Weasley only patted her son sadly on the cheek and turned to Percy sternly.

"Look after them" she said firmly.

"Mother, it'll be like you're right here" Percy said brightly.

Hermione seen Ron share a dark look with Ginny as Mrs Weasley looked satisfied at Percys answer. Hermione supposed that Mrs Weasley was still having a hard time accepting the fact that her children were leaving so soon after the war. She must be terrified.

Mr Weasley shook their hands and hugged Hermione and Ginny. He murmured something to George in his ear and then slung an arm around his wife.

"Be good" he said to them all sternly, "Don't get into too much trouble. Be good to the Muggles and behave."

"Don't worry Mr Weasley. I'll have them out of as much strip clubs as possible!" said Lee brightly.

Mr Weasley looked confused.

"I promise I'll look after them all" Hermione told Mr Weasley firmly, glaring at Lee. She sincerely hoped he would not hold Mr Weasley to his promise and very much hoped Mrs Weasley didn't bother to check what Lee was talking about.

Strip Clubs?

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They stood in the line for check in for at least half an hour as the rest of the people in the cue had their bags checked in and sent off. The Weasleys and Lee, who had found the airport quite interesting at first, were now getting irritable. Only Percy remained extremely excited.

"Why aren't we moving away like those people?" asked Ron as an old couple moved past them, "Why is this taking so long?"

"Oh look! Look everyone, someone is talking on those fellytones! Look! Look over there with that woman with the black hair!"

Cringing at the loud voice, Hermione turned around to look at Percy as he stood staring avidly at a young woman who was talking on a mobile phone. Percy was gaping, without embarrassment, openly at the women who was looking around her in nervousness. Everyone in the vicinity had turned to stare at her and then at Percy who was still bounding up and down like a puppy dog to try and look at the phone.

"Percy, _will you shut up_!" snapped Ginny in a repressive whisper, going rather red as everyone stared at them.

"Oh, but look Ginny! We must get father one!"

"I'll get you a good kick up the arse if you don't shut up" growled George who sullenness had grown the longer they had been standing in the line. Lee and Harry where chuckling to themselves.

"Stop laughing Harry!" Ginny snapped to Harry, "This is so embarrassing!"

Harry just snorted with laughter into his hands. Hermione tried to smile apologetically to surrounding people. They were staring at the group with very confused expressions. They had obviously been under the impression that the group where foreign and where surprised to hear English accents. Hermione wished that the attendant at the front desk would hurry up and let them check in.

"This is such a fascinating place!" said Percy smartly, "It's such a credit to the Muggles that they've come up with such a place. It's ingenious."

"It's ingenious you're this stupid…" Ron told him.

"Next please!"

Hermione practically ran to the check in desk, anything to get Percy away from the check in area.

"Hello!" she said breathlessly to the check in attendant who was a very pretty blonde woman.

"Hello there." said the attendant in a dull voice, looking irritable, "Passports?"

There was an excited yelp and then a _Thump! _

"Weasley family Photo!"

Hermione let out a moan of despair.

"Percy!" she cried in anger, turning to find Percy pulling himself up from the floor where he had fallen over the suitcases. A group of Chinese teenagers nearby were laughing at him. Percy did not seem to mind however and was grinning at Hermione brightly. He pulled himself up off the floor breathlessly and flushed with happiness.

"Photo time!" he brandished and without further ado grabbed Hermione and pulled her away from the check in desk. The attendant blinked in confusion.

Hermione was forced into standing beside Ginny who was shoved beside Lee and Ron. Harry and George where pushed together with the group before they could speak. Percy leaped in front of them with his camera, brandishing it like a wand.

"_Percy!" _George snapped, "You-_ah_!"

_Click! Flash! _

Hermione was blinded as the camera flash went off and practically blinded her. She screwed up her face in pain and let out an annoyed grunt.

"Percy!" yelled Ron furiously, "Put the camera away!"

But Percy was marching over to the attendant at the check in desk who was looking very annoyed.

"Will you take a photo?" he asked happily, "I would be ever so grateful"

The attendant took the camera gingerly and eyed Percy like he had serious mental problems. Percy darted back to the group who where letting out exasperated groans and posed jovially in front of them all, beaming and grinning like an idiot.

"Everyone say puffiskin!" he crooned.

George raised his hand up to slap Percy while Ron crunched his knuckles.

_Click Flash! _

"AH!" came to collective yell.

"God almighty why didn't I kill Voldemort with that?" cried Harry, rubbing his eyes in anger.

"Thank you!" Percy said happily to the attendant.

Wrenching herself away from the group Hermione marched up the desk and slammed down the seven passports that Kingsley had managed to get.

"Check us in." she said firmly, _"Please_"

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George was very glad to get away from the check in area. Percy had watched the women at the desk check in all their luggage with the excitement of a five year old and asked repeated questions about what she was doing. When their suitcases had gone along a little 'conveyer belt', as Hermione had called them, he had squealed in delight. George didn't know how he was going to manage going on this trip with Percy. He'd be spending half the time wanting to kill him for being so-annoying and then being miserable for thinking up a million jokes to insult him and wanting to tell Fred.

They pushed their way out of the check in area, out along another corridor and into another room which was bustling with people. They where all queuing up in a long line, clutching things that looked like dinner trays. The people at the front of the cue where walking threw what looked like a white archway that was beeping on and off. Others behind the ones walking threw the archway where being questioned.

"Oh no." groaned Hermione, looking weary.

"What?" asked Harry, looking quizzically at the long cue in front of them.

"Security checks." said Hermione with a deep sigh, "This could take a while."

George looked up at the top of the cue as more people passed through the archway.

Security checks? What did the Muggles have to fear that they had to have security checks?

"Is that like at the Ministry?" asked Percy excitedly, "Like secrecy sensors?"

"It is" said Hermione, looking scared at Percys enthusiasm "They detect metallic objects."

"Why?" asked George, "What do Muggles have to fear that means that they have to security checks?"

"Well," said Hermione, considering the matter, "There are some people that try to get on planes and use them as weapons. They carry bombs and guns-"

"What's a gun?" interrupted Ron.

Hermione sighed heavily, "It's a weapon but-"

"Why is it beeping?" interrupted Ginny

"It's-"

"Why are they all carrying tea trays?" asked Percy thoughtfully.

"Excellent, are we getting fed?" asked Lee hopefully.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"_No" _she said firmly, "It's to stop people bringing weapons on the plane and smuggling things in and out of the country!"

"Cool!" cried Lee in excitement and he and Percy immediately began to jump on their heels to try and look at the archway again.

George found himself uninterested in the strange muggle device at all. He stared mulishly and resentfully at the surrounding room and the people in it. He just wanted this trip to be over as soon as possible so he could go home. Hermione was now fussing over their passports and Ginny was in Harry's arm, staring at him lovingly. Lee was checking out the women nearby and Percy was looking dangerously close to declaring another 'Weasley Family Photo' moment.

George thought that perhaps if Fred had been here it be all rather funny, the strange airport, the muggles, Percy getting on like a twat. Fred would have made jokes and laughed his head off. George felt like he was caught in a sort of limbo in his life were he couldn't move on, couldn't think or feel outside his present state, caught in a tight rope that bonded him to grief and anger. He felt like he couldn't act the way he used too, or behave as if Fred was there now or as if he wasn't. Acting the way he used to couldn't be done without Fred, acting like he wasn't there made George feel guilty, as if he was tarnishing his brothers memory. George didn't know _how_ to really move on. How do you live your life in a different manner and spend it looking over your shoulder for your shadow that isn't there?

George sighed and looked back at his family who where all fussing over baggage and belongings, Percy asking if he would be able to take his camera on the plane.

He felt like he couldn't function slightly. The old George seemed to want to burst out of his stupor but would always look for Fred. Any jokes that George wanted to say he hid in his throat, he, feeling unable to start them. Fred had always done that. George would grab the punchline. Any funny comment or observation seemed to be lost within him, waiting for someone else to start it.

George looked over at his friends and family longingly.

It was ridiculous!

Ron _had a girlfriend. _Not a fake one, not a blow up doll or some idiot that he picked up off the street. A _girlfriend. _Not only that, but the girlfriend was Hermione. The bossy know it all who was ten times smarter than Ron and rather more attractive by far. She had him round her finger-practically. Ron was sweet to her, kissed her, held her, and slept in the same room with her. She hadn't even caught some horrible disease from kissing him.

Sometimes, George caught Ron looking at Hermione with a soft expression of such happiness that it made him almost cry for someone to come off with a randy goat reference. Nobody had thought to apparate into their bedroom when they where obviously kissing and, George suspected, doing possibly a bit more. Nobody made fun of Ron for being sweet and so obviously _whipped_. Nobody picked on him for being a sap and _nobody _thought to ask him how on earth he had managed to pick up a girlfriend with that crap hairdo. The boy was probably impotent and a rubbish kisser and nobody cared! George was almost screaming out for a sexual innuendo joke involving Ron, his broken broomstick and some shaving cream.

But it got worse, _Ginny was going out with Harry_. Nobody had thought to interrogate Harry in a humorous fashion by tying him up and torturing him with feathers and bright lights. Nobody had bothered to tease Ginny for kissing a boy.

What was even more agonising was that, _Percy was being an idiot and ever so slightly camp. _Nobody had taken the mick out his fascination over knitting patterns that seemed to have developed over the years and his love of swing music, never mind the fact that he had bought himself a fluffy quill for a hundred galleons. He had brought a ridiculous 'surfer shorts combo' for the trip ahead and not one person had thought to make fun of his fluffy slippers complete with tinkling bells! George did not care if his brother was gay, he sincerely thought that he wasn't and would love him whatever his sexual orientation was, but that didn't mean nobody could have a little fun with it all.

And not one person cared!

George had hoped Lee would even notice but no, Lee was 'Living his life between his legs'. A quote, he told George he had got from a muggle film his Uncle had made him watch. Apparently, it involved a lot of men in planes and playing volleyball.

They reached the archway after a period of time, the group was accosted and asked for their passports by a large burly man from Liverpool who looked very tired. Hermione fished all seven passports out of her pocket and handed them to the security guard who looked at her critically. Percy quivered in excitement and bounded in front of Hermione so that he could see all the proceedings.

"You carry all the passports love?" the guard asked Hermione suspiciously.

Hermione blinked and said "Yes".

The man eyed her and opened each of the passports individually, eyeing each of the group critically as he did so. George, who had only heard Kingsley mention a 'passport' once and had no idea what was going on, felt very uninterested.

"This a first time flying for you all?" he asked the group.

"Oh yes!" cried Percy, "We are very grateful for the opportunity"

The guard eyed Percy warily and backed away slightly. He dropped his eyes to the passport he was looking at and nodded.

"Right," he said grumpily, "All of you. Walk through the gates. Boys to the left. Girls to the right. Place your bag in there."

He pointed to another sort of 'conveyer belt' which seemed to go through a large contraption made of plastic. A man was sitting beside it and peering through a large 'TV screen.

Percy bounded towards the gates excitedly, throwing his bag in the conveyer belt with a flourish. Hermione cautiously moved to the right where a large woman was standing waiting, on the other side. George watched Percy bound threw the gates, for it to give a large beep. Hermione walked through without a sound.

Percy yelped in terror as the gateway beeped and flung himself to the ground dramatically. Ron burst out laughing which made the guard at the door look at him in a suspicious manner.

"What is it?" asked Percy, "What is that beeping noise?" he demanded, crouched on the ground with his hands on his head. The people standing behind the group were looking completely bewildered and bemused.

A man, looking rather scared, walked towards Percy cautiously saying , "Please stand up sir"

Lee roared with laughter and Hermione, who had collected her bag without question walked over to Percy in concern.

Percy got to his feet and stood poker straight, pale and terrified.

"Can you please stand still sir, your legs apart." Said the man who had approached Percy. Percy looked scandalised.

"Excuse me?" he spluttered, "Why?"

"Please stand still so I can check you."

"Check me for what?" asked Percy, "I haven't got anything on me. I swear!"

The man looked around at his colleagues who where all now looking bewildered at the strange behaviour.

"Percy it's alright." said Hermione, "It's nothing big. Just do as the man says"

Hermione looked nervous and embarrassed.

"Have you got any metallic objects on you?" asked the guard to Percy, "Money in your pockets for instance?"

"Can you remove your belt please?" said the women who was standing beside the other archway and looking at Percy critically, waving Ginny through without a sound.

"Remove my belt?" spluttered Percy in indignation, "How dare you. This is not a brothel!"

Lee roared with laughter, Ron and Harry fought very hard to try not to laugh. George could only stare at the scene with a mixture of hilarity and the sense that things were about to get worse.

The guard who had looked at their passports looked at Lee critically and with anger. Percy stood like a deformed starfish as a man ran his hands over his clothing and up his legs, looking scandalised.

"You think this funny son?" The guard asked Lee in a menacing voice. Lee had to wipe tears from his eyes to answer between ragged laughter.

"Of-Course!"

The guard looked furious and George couldn't understand why. Ron had actually turned around and was shaking with laughter into his hand. Harry was shaking with silent giggles. Even Ginny was doubled up with laughter on the other side of the arch-way. Only Hermione looked very worried.

"Stand here" the guard ordered Lee, pointing to a spot beside him, "Empty your pockets"

Lee cheerfully obliged and emptied his pockets, taking out only a bit of chewing gum and what George recognised as his packet of condoms.

The guard raised his eyebrows at Lee as he handled the packet of condoms. Lee wasn't even paying attention and humming happily to himself.

"You need these?" the guard asked Lee in a deadpan voice.

"You never know when you might!" quipped Lee.

Harry finally burst into hysterical laughter and clutched his sides, tears rolling down his face.

"Are you being funny?" asked the guard, advancing on Lee,

Lee grinned at the guard, "I'm glad you think so" he said.

George managed a small smile. Lee was really pushing it.

The guard growled in anger and Lee looked perplexed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, "You look bothered"

The guard swelled in anger.

"You think I'm one of those people who hijack planes don't' you?" said Lee in a consoling manner, "Don't worry my friend Hermione told me all about them"

Hermione groaned in desperation as all the guards in the surrounding vicinity snapped their heads towards Lee who was smiling kindly at the guard in front of him.

George didn't understand what was wrong, Harry and Ron where still laughing.

"Are you planning something son?" asked the guard to Lee, "Think you're funny?"

Lee was perplexed again.

"Well," he considered, "If somebody was, why would they tell you? AH!"

The guards around Lee pounced on him in a dramatic fashion and soon Lee was pinned to the floor. The people around him look frightened and backed away.

"Stop! Stop!" cried Hermione in anguish trying to run over to help. Ginny was howling with laughter, Ron was actually crying in laughter and Harry was nearly on the floor with hysterics. George could only gape in horror at the scene before him, wanting to laugh and failing. Lee was struggling against four guards who had him pinned to the ground.

"Why are you arresting me for having a packet of condoms?" he yelled, "Am I using them wrong?"

Percy who was still standing on the other side of the archway, pulled out his camera. Tentatively, he pushed it in front of a guard and moved his hand to click it.

"Don't you dare!" the guard yelled and Percy gulped and hurriedly retreated back.

The guards were dragging Lee off into a side room and he was yelling. Hermione was pleading with the guards to let him go. Ron was howling with laughter, Harry was doubled over and Ginny was giggling. Percy was hesitantly taking a picture of a guard in the archway

Well, thought George, can't say I'm going to be bored.

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Harry was howling with laughter, he slapped his hands off his knees and wiped his eyes in mirth. Ron was chocking with laughter and was shaking with giggles. Ginny simply shook silently, trying not to laugh. Only Hermione sat there stony faced, arms folded tightly, a scowl on her face.

"This, is a disaster" she said solemnly.

Harry roared with laughter and clutched his side in pain.

"Harry!" cried Hermione angrily.

Ron watched Harry try without failure to stop laughing. The boy who lived doubled over with giggles and laughed so hard people around them where backing away. His laughter sent Ron into another raucous peal of laughter and he cursed his best friend for being unable to control himself. Ginny couldn't help herself and soon enough let out a small giggle that burst into a loud laugh.

Hermione looked furious.

"Stop it!" she cried, "All of you!"

Ron felt bad for his girlfriend, he really did. The trip to find her parents was turning into something of a disaster so far. Lee had been haled off for terrorist questioning and Percy was stalking round the Muggle shops, camera in tow. George had sullenly gone off to look at a Muggle sweet shop, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny to sit on a plastic seat in the departure lounge. They couldn't stop laughing, Ron could only picture Lee getting pounded by a couple of Muggles and Percy throwing himself to the ground as he walked through the archway. It was hilarious.

Hermione threw him a grumpy look and Ron tried his hardest to stop. Harry could only slump further into his seat, crying with mirthless laughter while Ginny buried her head in his shoulder laughing hard.

"It-was-when Lee-told the guard-that-he might need his-condoms!" said Harry through laughter.

Hermione threw Harry a disgusted look.

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At some point in the next hour, Ron and Ginny left Harry and Hermione, having been ordered to go and find some coffee at a place Hermione had called, 'Starbucks'. Ron and Ginny had no idea what it was however where keen to find out. Hermione had wanted to go herself but Harry had suggested that Ron and Ginny should get used to encountering Muggle shops before they went to Australia.

They set off threw the departure lounge and past many shops containing strange muggle items such as telephones and 'MP3' players, something that phased Ron completely. They passed many shops that, had they been muggles, they would have been straight into: Hamleys, Dior, Virgin Megastores, Boots.

Ron was fascinated with the shops which were so different from wizard shops and the weird things that they sold. What was moisturiser? What was an Ipod?

Ron made a mental note to ask Hermione.

"Gosh, its fascinating isn't it?" Ginny said happily, "And to think we'll have all this in Australia! Look, that girl's wearing some sort of skirt! And what's that thing in that shop? What's a toaster?"

Ron peered eagerly at the front window of a shop called, 'Currys' which was advertising a 'toaster' for £15.99.

"I assume it has something to do with toast." said Ginny smartly.

They walked on for a moment until they reached a rather large shop which was quite full of people. A sign nearby read, 'Starbucks'.

"This is it!" cried Ron happily, "This is Starbucks!"

Ginny gazed eagerly into the shop and Ron peered at it excitedly. There where little tables everywhere, people sat at them holding large mugs. There were plates with muffins and buns on them. There was a strong smell of caffeine that made Ron's brain wake up and become alert.

"Wow," said Ginny, "The smell's rather nauseating isn't it?"

Ron nodded, "Shall we go in?"

Ginny nodded. They both stood for a moment and didn't move.

"Why aren't you going in?" asked Ron.

"Why aren't _you_ going in?" said Ginny indignantly.

"I thought you would know what to do." said Ron

"I thought _you_ would know what to do. You did spend half a year living in a tent amongst Muggles."

"We didn't go near them!" cried Ron. It was half true. It had been Hermione who had gone to the Muggle supermarkets, Harry who had wanted to venture into the Muggle towns. He, Ron thought guiltily, had spent half the time moaning and complaining and generally being an arse, to quote Hermione.

"Well," said Ginny, "I'm going to assume you have a better idea of what to do than I would."

Ron was stumped. "Ginny," he said in confusion, "It's a coffee shop. It's not like, you know, sitting an exam."

"But it looks so hard!" said Ginny, staring at the coffee shop in wonder, "What's a Java Frapakino? What's it mean when it says Filter Coffee?" she looked fearfully at Ron, "What if you don't know what to do?"

Ron stared at the long line of people who where cueing up alongside a fridge which held and assortment of cakes and buns. They all were ordering their coffee at a till and then walking up to another end of the shop where they received their drink which was passed out on a small ledge.

"It can't be that hard," said Ron.

They marched and bended their way threw the many tables, knocking a few tables and chairs aside. Cautiously, they moved to the end of the line, looking around nervously as if a man would appear with an instruction manual and tell them what to do. It was the oddest place Ron had ever been in. Ron thought you had to sit down in a shop and order a coffee, not collect it from a ledge and walk off. Where did you pay? Was this a café? Was it a restaurant? What was a Caramel Macchiato? Why was the woman in the counter smiling so much at four in the morning?

The menu appeared to be on the wall and both Ron and Ginny stared at it in apprehension. There where lists of drinks that made no sense to Ron, Cinnamon Hot Chocolate, Filter Coffee, Java Chip Frappicinos (that sounded bloody goblinesque), Extra shots of caramel £1-what did it all mean? When Hermione said she wanted coffee, which type did she mean? Would she be mad at him and start throwing-what did that say on the board-Ethiopian free trade coffee at him?

"What do we get?" asked Ginny as the cue began to move up, "Which type do we get?"

"What's free trade?" said Ron in a low voice "Is it free?"

"Excuse me." Ginny tapped a finger on the shoulder of a man in front of them. He spun around to face them, a middle aged man with wispy brown hair, a lined face but with a youthful grin.

"Yes?" he asked Ginny kindly.

"What's Free Trade?" Ginny asked, "Which coffee do you get? What do you do?"

The man considered Ginny for a moment and then grimaced in a satisfied way.

"Concerned too?" he said to Ginny who shared a blank look with Ron, "It's not free trade, even though they say it is. I read in the Economist that they're actually the worse place for exploiting African farmers, they only get 5. That's what they say. But what do you expect from a capitalist run company that exploits its workers. It's a disgrace, I'm glad you looked so flabbergasted. We need to fight on, that's what Marx said anyway. Stupid bourgeoisie. I waited over an hour for a Strawberry Frappicino once. Not that the Economist isn't a filthy rag of the Establishment, bit like the Daily Mail…."

Ron felt as though somebody had talked to him in German. Ginny blinked and looked flabbergasted.

"Err," said Ginny, "So which coffee should we get?"

"Get the 'Free Trade' coffee love or be a disgrace to the Proletariat!" said the man smartly, "I spilt some on my shirt last time. Ben Sherman it was too-"

Ginny looked at Ron hopelessly.

"Help!" she said.

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"I can't believe you sent Ronald and Ginny off to interact with Muggles!" said Percy in a worried voice, "Ron will scare them off and Ginny will be terrified."

"Percy she's not six anymore." said George tonelessly.

They where sitting on the plastic seats in the departure lounge, George and Percy having returned from their perusal of the Muggle shopping facilities. Percy had bought a pair of sunglasses apparently and George, another sullen mood swing. Harry had found time to control his giggles and giddiness that had overpowered him previously. Hermione had become very annoyed with him after it had gone on for quite a while and Harry had resorted to pointing out interesting shaped seafood in the restaurant nearby.

Lee still had not returned from being questioned under suspicion of being a terrorist and Ron and Ginny where still lost in a quest to find Starbucks in a Muggle shopping area and where probably being distracted by the lure of toastie makers and Hoovers.

It was all rather funny and worrying at the same time.

Hermione seemed to have calmed down a lot though she kept glancing around for signs of Lee and Ron.

"Did you see the funny shops George?" Percy asked his brother in an excited manner, "Did you see that shop that sold Teddy Bears? And the one that sold Muggle music?"

George looked up at Percy with a bored expression, Harry knew George neither cared about anything the airport held, he knew George would rather not be here at all.

"No." said George to Percy, "I really don't care."

"It's very fascinating," said Percy to George bracingly, "The music is very unique. The song they where playing involved 'Smacking my Bitch up', whatever that is…" Percy trailed off into silent thoughtfulness.

George raised his eyebrows and for once, Hermione had to control her giggles, shoving a fist in her mouth.

"Sounds great Perce." said George in a cold voice. Hermione giggled. Harry smirked, making a mental note to tell Ron.

"Eh-little help?"

They all looked up, Hermione gasped and half-laughed. Harry chocked out a laugh.

Ron and Ginny where staggering towards them, balancing four large cup holders filled with drinks. The cups of coffee where teetering dangerously close to the edge of the cup holders and large plastic cups filled with what looked like ice-cream where nearly falling off. Ron and Ginny where trying to balance all the cup holders in both hands while trying to stop the wobbling coffee from falling on the ground.

"What on earth?" Hermione asked, half laughing.

Ron and Ginny looked harassed, worried and terrified.

"We didn't know what to get!" said Ginny looking anguished, "This man started warning us about feeding the bourgeoisie and helping the proletariat and-and Karl Marx!"

"There where so many different types!" cried Ron, "Filter, Free trade, Frapicinos, Macchiato and Lattes! _Did we want an extra shot of syrup?!"_

Hermione had to stifle her laugh and gave Ron a sympathetic look. Percy was fascinated.

"They have different types of coffee?" he asked interestedly, "Really?"

"Too many" said Ginny dramatically, "They call a small coffee a tall!"

Percys eyes widened in wonder.

"Hey guys what's up. Oh hey, coffee!"

Lee appeared out of nowhere looking very happy, upon seeing the mountain of coffee he picked up a cup and began to drink.

They stared at him as he drank rather silently, barely paying them any attention.

"Lee," George said lightly, "Where hell did you come from?"

Lee smiled at George energetically,

"Just back from terrorist questioning!" he said brightly, "They let me go. Took my condoms though. Assholes"

And shrugging, he gulped down some more coffee. There was a random silence.

Harry looked at Ron and they shared a blank look. Lee didn't appear to be scarred by his interrogation, indeed, he looked like had just been to a Quidditch Match. The group looked at each-other

"Oh" said Hermione hesitantly, "Well at least your ok"

"Mmm. Is that cinnamon I smell?" said Lee eagerly. And he dived for another cup of coffee.

The group look at each-other, wondering whether to question Lee if he was ok because of his, ahem, terrible experience with the Muggles who had dragged him off for questioning. As Lee slurped down the coffee and licked some froth off his nose, they all decided against it.

"This is a boarding call for flight 91131320 to Melbourne Australia, Boarding Call for Melbourne Australia, could all passengers make their way to gate 2 please!"

Lee gave a happy yell and Hermione gulped nervously.

"What do we do about the coffee?" asked Ginny, still holding onto the many cups.

"Yeah, we didn't spend Hermione's money so we could just leave it here!" Ron insisted. Hermione spluttered in indignation.

"I'll have some!" said Percy enthusiastically, diving for what looked like a Frappiccino.

"I'll have that one there." said Harry, happily diving for a cup.

George looked resentful and grabbed a small cup full of a chocolate substance.

"Can we just go?" Hermione asked in a tired voice, "I just want to get out of here before Lee gets kidnapped again."

"Excellent!" said Lee.

"This is a boarding call for flight 91131320 to Melbourne, Australia. Boarding call for Melbourne Australia, could all passengers make their way to gate 2 please!"

"Let's just go!" said Hermione, grabbing her bag and heading towards a sign that pointed to gate two. Harry grabbed Ginnys' hand happily as they followed her.

Off they went.

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Wow. This chapter took a while to do. I just wanted to get them on the plane and away lol. I really enjoyed writing this chapter, it's a lot of fun.

Bit of Challenge for you all, can anybody tell me what the significance of the flight number is? It's a puzzle.

Read and Review please!


	4. Chapter Three: The Mile High Club

Oh. My.God. I am sorry. I have had no laptop for the past….month. Year etc. It's so bad. Finally, I got the time (I'm in my second year of University) and I got the chapter finished! It beats John Stuart Mill anyday.

_For Glen, who is the real Lee Jordon_.

**Chapter four-The Mile High Club- The Flight. **

"Thank you for flying British Airways, please take a seat!

"Thank you for flying British Airways, please take a seat!"

Hermione handed the flight attendant her passport and then backed away slightly to let Ron hand the flight attendant his own passport. He handed it to her upside down and then moved away as the attendant threw him a raised eyebrow. A row of people stood behind them, waiting to be let on the plane which was humming with excitement.

Hermione was starting to feel a bubble of her own excitement in her stomach as she steeped onto the plane. Anticipation burned in her as she thought of the trip ahead, the chance to get her parents back again...they were going to be very angry. Beaming around at her friends, she hoped the trip would work out the way that they imagined that it would.

She hoped Lee wouldn't keep to his notion of going to strip clubs.

They stood to let Harry, Ginny, Lee, Percy and finally a disgruntled George hand their own passports to the flight attendant (the attendant stared at Georges' ear), then walked down the aisle to find their seats, Hermione leading the way.

"Gosh, it's a bit cramped isn't it?" asked Ron as they winded their way threw the plane, passing passengers and large bags.

"It's not like that film I saw," commented Lee, looking around, "The plane was very small and they drove the plane themselves."

"Which movie was this,?" Hermione enquired, trying to avoid a fat man who was putting his bag in the over-head compartment.

"Top Gun," said Lee with a smile.

"Top Gun? Oh, I love that movie!" Hermione cried happily, "So, you where expecting to be 'flying threw the danger zone!'" she said happily, chuckling to herself, obviously under the impression she had made a funny comment.

Lee who was three persons behind her blinked and looked blankly at the back of her head.

Hermione glanced over her shoulder, clearly annoyed that nobody got her joke.

"You know?" Hermione said slowly to Lee, "The theme tune?"

"Eh?"

"Flying threw the danger zone? 'Take my breath away? No?"

"Hermione I think you're making up your own movie there" said Harry, chuckling to himself.

"It's the theme tune!" cried Hermione grumpily, stopping to peer around at the seat numbers, "It was defiantly Top Gun you watched wasn't it?"

"Two guys fly a plane and one dies?" asked Lee.

"Well, yes but there was homoerotic volleyball, macho talk, "You can be my wingman?"….and of course the music?" asked Hermione.

"Top Gun was Homoerotic?" demanded Lee incredulously.

"Of course it was." said Hermione in a manner that suggested that Lee had just declared Magic to exist.

"Er, Shouldn't we be looking for seat numbers?" Ginny interrupted and Hermione shook her head in exasperation and quickly moved on down the plane, still looking for their seats.

Lee had been watching Top Gun and Hermione knew it.

Eventually, somewhere near the back of the plane, they found their seats. A row of seven which where backed up against a light wall. Around them, people were talking aminatly to their neighbours and laughing with their partners and families. A group of kids nearby were having a fight with their game consoles.

"Here we are!" Hermione brandished happily.

Everyone, excluding Harry, simply stared at the seats. Hermione felt her heart sink.

"We just sit there?" asked Percy, looking confused and slightly disappointed.

"Why don't we drive it ourselves?" asked Ron.

"Who drives the plane?" asked Ginny.

"Can we sit down, I'm bloody knackered." grunted George.

"Wow, that woman's fit." commented Lee, staring over at an air-hostess.

"Lee!" Hermione cried, scandalised.

They settled down on in the seats, shoving some of their bags in the over-head compartments and sitting down, Ron, Ginny, George, Lee and Percy all looking very awkward and uncomfortable. Hermione sat at the end with Ron beside her, beside Giny who sat beside Harry who sat beside Lee who sat beside Percy then George at the end. They all twisted into their seats and tried to get comfortable, looking distinctly disgruntled. Hermione and Harry settled back in their seats without a problem, Hermione feeling a swooping sensation in her stomach that she associated with kissing Ron. She felt excited and nervous at the same time not having gone on a plane for years.

"They're very small seats Hermione. Can't I just enlarge them?" asked Percy who did not seem to like the arm rests and was finding it hard to adjust his body to them. He kept shifting his bottom so that it was pushed right down in the seats.

"We're with Muggles Percy" Ginny reminded him, struggling to get comfortable in her seat and pushing herself down into the seat while Harry laughed at her affectionately.

Hermione thought they were quite comfy seats, not much leg room, but enough to sustain the long journey. TV's where placed on the back of the seats and there was lights above them for reading.

"Did you all see the TV's?" Hermione asked them all.

"Eh?" asked Ron, who was beside Hermione and looked very confused about the whole situation, glancing around nervously.

Hermione pointed to the TV's on the back of the seats in front of them, small square screens which, at the moment, where blank.

"That's a TV?" asked Percy in delight and pressed his face up close to the screen, "How does it work?"

"What does it do?" asked Ginny, "What does it have to do with flying?" she asked as George pointed a hesitant finger at the screen

"It shows films and programs." Harry explained to them all, "Muggle ones. It's pretty ingenious."

"It's sort of like moving photographs," said Hermione, "Except with music and talking."

"_Good Morning, Welcome to British Airways!" _

The Weasleys and Lee all yelped again as a clear Scottish accent spoke over the intercom.

"_Thank you flying British Airways_," the voice continued, "_We are just waiting to taxi out of the Airport. We ask you to relax until be begin our departure where we will be taking you through a short safety programme." _

"_Where is it coming from?" _demanded Percy in excitement, "How do muggles manage to do a sonorus charm?"

"Percy," Hermione implored as an old Muggle threw Percy a frown.

"What does she mean when she means the plane taxi's?" asked Ron

They only had to wait for fifteen minutes before they found out, the plane beginning to move slowly away from the airport, the lights of Heathrow beginning to move away from their view.

"_Thank you for waiting. If we could have your full attention please." _

They all turned in their seas to see the Air Hostesses standing in the aisles, beaming around at them.

"They are not human. They could not be that happy this early in the morning." grunted George.

"_While the plane gets ready to Taxi, we ask that you pay attention to a short safety procedure given by our air-staff." _

The air-staff began to smile round at them all, the Weasleys and Lee watched fascinated.

"What do we have to be safe about?" asked Ginny in a whisper.

"_In case of an emergency, emergency exits are located throughout the plane. They are located at the front and back of the plane on the left and the right and in the middle of the plane. Please take the time now to locate your emergency exit." _

The air-hostesses gestured with their hands as the voice over lady directed them. They beamed all too brightly around at everyone, as they directed to the front and back of the planes, moving in an almost robotic manner.

"_In case of emergency, please make your way to your nearest emergency exit. Lights will light up along the aisles to guide you to your exit." _

"In case of landing on water-"

"_What?" _demanded Ron. Hermione silenced him with a sshing noise. Ron looked terrified.

"_- under your seats, pulll out your life-jackets and place over your head. Pull the toggle and blow into it to insert air. In case of lack of Oxygen," _The air hostesses pulled gas masks and began to place them over their faces. Percy looked delighted, "_Oxygen Masks will fall from above your heads, please place over your heads and breathe as normal. Please help Children with their own gas masks, please asert your own oxygen mask before helping others." _

They finished and the voice over-head kept talking.

"_Thank you for your attention. We will shortly be taxing and departing for Melbourne, Australia. Could all flight staff please prepare for take off, prepare for take off please" _

The air-staff began to move away again, hurrying to either end of the plane.

"What was that?" asked Percy, a worrying hint of 'Weasley-family-photo' in his voice, "I would love to see what exactly they where holding, didn't she say that they where under our seats?"

Percy, Lee and even Ron dived under their seats at once.

"No!" cried Hermione, wishing for the last time that they had flooed, "Don't touch them! It's for emergency's only!"

"Are you lot foreign?"

They all turned around in their seats, Percy in mid-grabbing position. The old man who had frowned at them earlier was staring at them all like they where mad.

"They've never flown before," Harry said to the man immediately as Hermione groaned quietly in despair at another Muggle's near chance and finding them out. Hermione silently thanked Harry for his quick thinking, her best friend was grinning benignly at the man in the seat across from them as if nothing was wrong.

"Yeah, _looks_ like they've never flown before indeed." said the man, looking very annoyed at them for not knowing how to behave on a plane. Angrily throwing them a look, he disappeared behind his copy of the Daily Mail.

"Git," muttered Ron.

The voice sounded again and thankfully, this time nobody yelped.

"_Thank you for waiting. We are just waiting for confirmation from the tower to give us permission to depart." _

"There are hundreds of planes up in the air at the moment," Hermione explained to her friends, "They have to co-ordinate them so that no accidents happen and that they all fly in safely. It's called stacking. Heathrow's one of the busiest airports in the world and-."

There was a groaning noise which made Hermione stop in mid sentence and which made everybody freeze and look down at the floor. Then, there was a rushing noise, a rumbling which increased and then the plane started with a sudden jerk, going faster than it had originally gone before. They where thrown back in their seats as it lurched forwards, the plane gaining in speed, a slight G-Force keeping them back in their seats. The Weasleys and Lee looked surprised at what was going on, looking around for a sign of what the plane was doing. But it was so dark outside that it was hard to see anything. Bright lights rushed past their window, the blackness rushing past with speed.

"Wow, what's it doing?" asked Ron, gripping the arm rests on the seats and peering out of the small windows as they began to move even faster, "How is it doing it? Hermione?"

Hermione had her head in Ron's shoulder and her eye's closed. As the plane went faster, she placed her fingers into her ears and said, "I hate this bit." She felt her stomach rumble and do a little summersault.

The nose of the plane began to lift up, Lee gave a woop and then the plane began to lift off the ground, gaining in speed again. At once, everyone sort of winced and grabbed their ears.

"Ouch," said George, "My ears feel like they're being trodden on."

"What is that Hermione?" asked Percy, clutching his own ears.

"It's the pressure from us gaining altitude," Hermione replied wincing even further, "It puts pressure in your ears and they pop. Swallow, everyone. It'll help."

The others followed her advise and swallowd the saliva in their mouths. It was awful: Their ears popped with anger.

"Awh!" muttered Ginny.

The rest of the plane lifted up and very soon, they where up in the ground, a pain starting to begin in Harry's ear. Ginny winced as the plane lifted up, gaining further in height.

"Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. I'm John Thompson" came a broad Liverpool accent, "We're just beginning into our flight towards Melbourne, Australia. Reaching an altitude of 70,000 km, reaching Australia in approximately 12 hours"

George gave a low groan and leaned back in his seat with his eyes closed. Ron gratefully pulled off his seatbelt and stretched out his legs, Ginny sighed and leaned back in her chair while Lee exclaimed, 'Excellent' and immediately began hoking around in the seat to find interesting things to do.

"I'm going to keep you informed of our flight as it goes," continued the captain, "Sit back, relax and enjoy your flight."

"This is a brilliant machine!" Percy declared brightly, unfasning his seat-belt, "I must find out how it works!"

"We could actually take you up to the cockpit Percy," said Hermione thoughtfully, "You know, go up and see the pilot."

Percy looked pleased, "That would be wonderful!" he exclaimed.

"I'm sorry," George had sat up and looked at Hermione with a raised eyebrow, "It's called _what?"_

"The cock-pit." repeated Hermione after a pause.

George's mouthed curved for a fraction into a smile, Hermione seen his eyes glimmer with a fever that for a moment she thought she was looking at Fred…then it died as quickly as it came.

George, sat back in his seat and continued slightly bemused.

"_Cock_-pit!" cried Lee loudly, causing the old man to look even more scandalised, "What a bloody name! ha-ha" Ginny giggled too and covered her mouth to laugh some more.

"What's so funny?" asked Ron, looking confused.

To Hermione's shock, Ginny leaned over and whispered in her brothers' ears what exactly _that_ meant. Ron's face went bright red and his eye's widened.

"No way, really?!!" he cried, a blush creeping up his neck and a guilty grin appearing on his face. George looked liked he was trying not to laugh.

Lee chuckled to himself and Ginny tee-heed to herself which seemed to disturb Harry more than anything. He raised a suggestive eyebrow at Ginny as if asking, "How did you know about…_that" _

Ginny winked at him and Harry went bright red. She giggled and settled back in her seat while Harry seemed to blink furiously and look embarrassed…but pleased.

Ginny loved teasing him.

"It's terribley rude," Percy commented, looking flustered, "Hermione, you should stop using that language in front of Ginny,"

"Percy!" Ginny cried in outrage, "I know what it means!"

"Don't be silly, Ginny" spluttered Percy, "Of course you-"

"It means _Penis _Percy!" Ginny exclaimed rather loudly, causing Hermione to burst into rather hysterical giggles and Lee to laugh so loudly the air-hostess frowned disapprovingly at them. Ron went bright red, Harry looked uncomfortable. Percy looked scandalised.

George banged his head off his seat.

"Somebody, kill me." he said loudly,.

London lay below, Australia lay ahead.

**11 Hours to go. **

The Televisions came on quite soon after the P-word incident and they all settled down, some to sleep others to watching the many varied and colourful TV channels provided by British Airways. Food had been served and they where all starting to feel rather tired and groggy.

Percy had enthusiastically discovered the radio's which where in the arm rests (after a hilarious attempt at introducing him to ear-phones) and was now happily listening to some Muggle Music. Harry and Ginny where watching, "The Lion King," and were giggling every so often. Ron was reading the Magazine from the front pocket of the seat.

Hermione had settled herself down to watch some TV programmes she had missed over the years at Hogwarts and most of all, to calm herself down. She felt stressed and unable to think straight due to exhaustion. The TV programme she was watching about a bunch of Americans who lived together, she couldn't concentrate on it other than to observe than one of the characters was dating an Italian man and another one, was annoyed. She didn't get it all.

She glanced at Ron who was reading threw the magazine, poking at the pictures and laughing at the funny articles about planes. She was so glad that her boyfriend was coming on this trip with her-she smiled without helping it. Her _boyfriend. _How funny was it that it still gave her the giggles.? If only the ones who had picked on her in school knew that she had a boyfriend…and a very good looking one at that.

"What's wrong?"

She snapped out of her musings to see Ron staring at her in a bemused fashion.

"Nothing," she said lightly, "Just glad that you're here with me."

Ron went slightly red, but smiled anyway.

"Awh," he teased, "I never knew you were this soppy."

Hermione raised her eyebrows, feeling slightly molified that Ron didn't think that she could be romantic…or was all this down to the fact that he didn't know that she was girl until 4th year?

"I have been." she said to him in a defensive tone, "I just wasn't dating you until 1 and a half months ago."

Ron looked away and stared out the window looking thoughtful.

"Wow. That's right you know. Only a month and a half?" he mumbled.

"Would have been longer if you'd plucked up the courage to tell her earlier that you liked her." came Harry's voice out of no-where. Hermione and Ron turned round in their seats to see Harry and Ginny with their headphones off staring at them with smiles on their faces.

"Oi," said Ron, slightly annoyed, "Thought you were movie watching?"

"The Lion dad died, Ginny got upset." Harry explained.

"It was horrible!" Ginny protested defensively, "Why would they do that?"

"It's ok," Hermione told her, "Simba comes back and avenges his dad. It's all very Hamlet"

"_Anyway_," Ron butted in, " Can I get back to what I was talking about? Stop entering our conversations Potter."

Harry grinned wickedly, "I kill Voldemort and you two create sexual tension." he quipped, " Just doing my job!"

He giggled to himself and he and Ginny pulled their ear-phones on again, looking at a different movie. Hermione wondering whether she was looking at the same boy, Harry was so….different these days. Calm, relaxed, if not a little nervous occasionally.

"Anyway," Ron said, looking slightly embarrassed at Harry's end comment.

Hermione rolled her eyes and settled her self on Ron's shoulder, smiling slightly. Ron grabbed her hand and set his own head top of hers.

"To think I couldn't even do things like this a month ago." muttered Ron.

"Hmm, you probably could have done," said Hermione teasingly, "I wouldn't have minded."

"Ron. Do.Not.Answer." George butted in warningly, "If I have to take any more of this romantic crap, I _will _go sit somewhere else,"

"Hey!" cried Ron, "Can't I have a private conversations at all?"

"No," said Harry, Ginny, Lee, Percy and George, all focused on their own activities.

"Typical." muttered Ron as Hermione laughed and together they snuggled down in their seat further. Ron began to stroke her hair and Hermione found herself relaxing and calming down, sighing happily.

"I am really glad that I can do this…" said Ron to her in a low voice that made her shiver, "That I have you."

She kissed him lightly on the mouth for a second and Ron went a perfect shade of red.

"Should talk like that all the time," he said shyly. Hermione smiled, basking in the glow that she seemed to be lying in whenever Ron was around. She has gotten used to the fact that she and Ron where now a couple, but that didn't mean that it didn't feel any less special. It felt nice lying there with Ron as he stroked her hair.

Hermione sighed happily and began to stroke Ron's hand lightly with her hand, it reminded her of so very long ago lying in Grimald place with Ron taking her hand in the middle of the night as they both lay in such worry after the horrible events of the wedding. The three of them had had a conversation for a while about what had gone on that day and eventually, Harry had gone quiet. Whether he had been asleep or not was another question but he had remained silent for a very long time, leaving Hermione and Ron to themselves for a while……….

At the wedding, the feelings the pair had for each-other, had been at the surface of everything they did. They where both past it at that stage, they both knew what one felt for the other, had done so since Ron had gone out with Lavender and they had both stopped talking to each-other for reasons neither of them was willing to admit. Since Dumbeldore's funeral things had _changed. _They both knew what the other felt, it was only a matter of making it into a relationship.

As Ron had danced with her in the centre of the dancing couples, with the soft music and the fireflies and the wine and the way the sun set, Hermione had cursed herself for deciding to leave the question of she and Ron until after Voldemort was dead. Since coming to the Burrow, everything between she and Ron was there. Always in conversations, in the house, in the way that Ron hugged her when she arrived. They both _knew_ what the other felt and seemed to know without saying very much that they couldn't have what they wanted until after: whatever _after_ was. Hermione felt it in the way that Ron comforted her and was more affectionate with her in everything he did. Ron must have felt it in the way that Hermione was more affectionate to him too and every time he looked at her he just seemed to be saying how much he wanted her….

It was so frustrating!

As they danced with each other, Ron had started with just placing his hands on the crook of her back As the night progressed, as they whispered to each other and giggled as they watched Fred and George chat up the French veela, they had gotten progressively closer to each-other, Ron moving his hands to her hips, bringing her closer to him every time a new song started. The look in his eyes had been intense as he did so, saying very clearly what exactly he wanted and Hermione had tried not to look at him too much because she knew that she would lose it and kiss him…

Pity the Death Eaters had messed that up for them.

While telling her how worried he was about his family in Grimmauld Place, Ron had taken her hand and held in tightly, only looking slightly nervous at his actions. Hermione had smiled and done nothing, gripping his hands tightly back. The look in Ron's eyes had returned rather quickly and Hermione only had to glance once at Harry to say to him: _not now_. Ron's eyes had looked disappointed but Hermione had only shook her head a fraction before he just fell back into staring at her softly. Hermione had fallen asleep under his gaze holding hands with him tightly. Ron had stroked her hand as he began to doze off, muttering comforting words to her, squeezing her hand as if to say: _one day. _

How strange to think that it had been over a year ago.

Hermione turned in her seat to see that Ron had his eyes closed and was still stroking her hair softly. He looked about ready to go to sleep, Hermione didn't blame him after a long day's travelling. The way that he was touching her was making her sleepy…..

"Stop staring at me," he said suddenly, and Hermione jumped, concentrating too much on Ron's actions on her hair to see that he had opened his eyes.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, "I was daydreaming,"

Ron smiled at her a fraction, then stared at her intently very suddenly, as if he had only noticed her. The look in his eyes was the same one he had worn at the wedding, very raw, wanting.

"Ron," Hermione pleaded quietly.

His face fell slightly but he pulled her to him and held her tightly, kissing her lightly on the head. Hermione sighed softly, glad that she had some self-restraint. Things had been building up between them some-what lately….far too quickly. Hermione didn't know if sleeping in the same bed as Ron since the battle was the reason why. Sometimes, she would just wake up and Ron would be staring at her in the same way that he had just done. Hermione had to sometimes use all her courage to stop and say no before Ron could act on his own instincts. She had convinced herself that it was too early to be doing _that. _Because she didn't want to do _that_ just yet….

Ron's hands began to trail down her arm and at the spot behind her neck and Hermione felt that she might need a bit more self-restraint on this trip. Here they where, on a road trip, by themselves…..

**10 Hours to go**

"Use the force Luke," said the man on the screen and George rolled his eyes and thought to himself that that was the most stupid thing he'd ever heard.

"The force is with you." the man continued, "Use it"

George sighed and pushed the buttons on the arm rest to change the channel again. He was getting the hang of it already.

That movie was really a pile of bollocks.

Some 'cartoons' as Hermione had called them, appeared on the screen. A small girl with pig-tails and dark-hair talking to someone in what sounded like Spanish.

"What the hell is Dora the explorer?," he muttered.

"What are you watching George?" asked Percy excitably, leaning over and shoving his face in front of the screen.

George groaned, wondering how on earth he had got stuck beside Percy. It was like sitting beside an excitable child.

"I don't know Percy," he told him in a patient voice, "Something not funny away."

"I'm watching something called 'Star Wars'!" Percy said proudly, "And d'you know what? It's rather like the story between Harry and Voldemort!"

"Excuse me?" George asked, wondering how on earth that stupid movie could compare to Harry.

"Percy, you're comparing me to Star Wars?" asked Harry, leaning around in his seat .

"Yes. The main hero has to defeat the 'dark lord' of Space! And Voldemort could have taken some tips, he should have built a death-star! Anyway, the boy finds out his destiny and has to kill 'Darth-Vador' with the help of his two sidekicks, Han Solo and Princess Lela who turns out to be his own sister!"

"My story in no way compares to Star Wars!" said Harry, laughing, "For one, Voldemort wasn't' my father!"

Percy looked confused.

"Darth Vador is Luke's father?" he demanded.

"Oops" said Harry, clapping a hand to his mouth.

George mentally backed out of the conversation and sighed heavily. He couldn't wait until this plane landed so they could find Hermione's parents and go home. Everyone around him seemed to happy and excitable, all enjoying their journey. George couldn't summon a happy thought to save his life.

The TV annoyed him, the plane annoyed him, his own brothers and sisters annoyed him….god why on earth was that Spanish girl on the screen dancing in flowers, was she on Dragon Claw?

He leaned his head against the seat and looked around him, catching a glimpse of a young women who was standing talking to her friend in a different isle, bending over and giggling with each-other.

What was funny was that they where staring at him.

He blinked and looked away quickly, wondering if he was imagining things. But no, he looked back and both girls where staring at him with wide eyes, grinning at him seductively and curiously.

George snapped his eyes away with a flourish and looked deter idly at the TV screen. He was usually quite smooth with the ladies, having attained many veela cousins at Bill's wedding.

He looked back at the girls again and grinned at them sheepishly.

One of the pointed at him and touched her ear, the other made an exclaimation and gasped.

George scowled and threw himself back into his seat.

Fred, had gotten the girls.

"_Can I carry escort you to the dance floor? You do look beautiful you know." _

The veela had grinned and George, had winked at her friend who was sitting beside her. She had grinned blushingly at George before he held out his hand for her to join him. Fred had already gotten half-way across the dance floor at this point.

Yep, George Weasley. The one-eared freak and a serious depression problem.

"George," said Ginny, "D'you fancy watching this film on Channel 15? It's about Merlin!"

Whoop-de-fucking-do.

**8 Hours to go**

Everybody had nearly fallen asleep when Lee realised that he'd been awake for hours now, drinking copious amounts of coffee. It made him hyper, and fidget quite a bit and made his mind think too quickly. He was annoyed that everyone had gone to sleep, leaving him to amuse himself. So far, he'd stuck Percy's hair up with some of the soap he had found in the seat in front and drawn on Harry's face with the pen someone had lent him and stolen Hermione's passport so that she would freak out when she went to look for it.

He wished they'd get up and start to get annoyed at him.

He glanced at George and sighed, wishing his best friend would join in and help Lee in his attempt to cause a bit of havoc. It would be like the old days, where was life without a bit of chaos?

Lee had tried 'everything' to get his best friend up and back on his feet again and it just wasn't workign. He didn't expect George to 'ever' go back to normal, but he wasn't even trying to move on, continuing to mourn by himself, not trying to talk to anyone and shutting himself away. Lee thought he was afraid to move on.

Lee poked George lightly, hoping he would wake up and laugh at Harry who had pen over his face. (In particular the scar area which was now sporting a black ring around it's edges, exaggerating it hugely0 George didn't do anything however, he lay asleep and still. Hesitantly, Lee began to poke again, putting his forefinger into George's side, somewhere he knew made George jump.

Nothing.

"_Sssh, stop it!" _

Lee whirled around in his seat at the sound of the very hysterical giggles that seemed to come from further up the plane. Squinting, he peered up to see two figures tip toeing down the plane towards the toilets. It appeared to be a young Austrailian women and young man. They where looking suspiciously around themselves, the women seemingly unable to stop laughing.

"Stop it love!" whispered the man who talked with a broad London accent, holding onto her waist and holding her back from bursting into giggles.

Lee watched as the women began to laugh again, turned around in her lovers arms and began to open the toilet door behind her. The man began kissing her neck while she giggled to herself. With one swift movement, she dragged him by the shirt and pulled him into the toilet.

Ewh, thought Lee. What type of sick freak went to the toilet with his own girlfriend?

_Dude!_

**7 Hours to go**

Ginny yawned widely as she felt herself wake up, Harry's head on her shoulders. Beside her, Ron was watching TV again with the same confused expression on his face. Hermione was reading a book while Percy was listening to the radio again. George still lay in his seat a very obviously bored expression on his face while Lee was energetically watching another TV programme which made him smirk every so often. The plane atmosphere felt much more awake and lively, people talking to each-other amenably..

Ginny felt groggy as she stretched her arms, her eyes feeling heavy and laden with sleep. She rubbed them furiously, a sudden urge to eat something.

"Mmm," she groaned, "How long have we got to go?" she asked Hermione.

Hermione looked up sleepily from her book and said sadly, "Seven hours"

Ginny groaned quietly and flopped back into her seat again.

"Problem?" Harry asked sleepily.

"Seven hours to go." Ginny told him miserably.

Harry didn't look too bothered but sighed.

"You sleep well?" he asked Ginny who smiled warmly at him.

"As well as you can in this Muggle tin can" Ginny joked. Harry smiled affectionately at her.

"Any chance of us getting any food?" he asked Hermione.

"I'll try and ask." Hermione told him, looking down the aisle for the air hostesses.

"Oh get the good looking one," Lee told Hermione, pulling off his headphones and looking eagerly at a blonde girl a couple of meters away who was talking with her college and staring at the toilet in the middle of the plane seriously.

"Lee," said Hermione exasperatly, "Don't you ever go for women because of who they are?"

Lee rolled his eyes at Hermione.

"Nope," he quipped, "All I want is a wife who can cook, clean, do the washing up and has an ass you can set your pint on"

Ginny and Harry burst out laughing. George who was still lying with his eyes closed opened them to roll his eyes. Hermione gaped in horror at what Lee has said, obviously unable to decide if he was joking or not.

"Excuse me! Excuse me can you please get out of there?"

The all stopped laughing to look around to see the air hostess banging on the doors of the toilet cubicle in the middle of the aisle.

"What are they doing?" Percy asked, taking off his earphones and watching the scene too. Ron took his off as well and peered curiously at the air hostesses.

"Excuse me, this is ridiculous! Please get out!" commanded one air hostess in a Welsh accent.

"Oh yeah," commented Lee, "That couple who went in there an hour ago haven't come out yet" he added thoughtfully.

"A couple went in there together?" Ginny asked, horrified by the thought, "Ewh"

"How long have they been in there?" Hermione asked Lee, looking wary for some reason.

"About an hour," Lee told Hermione, "They went in just as everyone was going off to sleep,"

Hermione's face fell slightly. Coughing slightly she glanced towards the toilet cubicle, looking half horrified and looking as if she was trying not to laugh.

"Get out please!" the air hostess called commandingly, other passengers now looking around to see what was going on.

"They must be close if they can go to the toilet together," George commented lightly, watching the scene with bored indifference.

Hermione giggled slightly, and then looked ashamed of herself. Harry began to chuckle too and he looked at Hermione and burst out laughing as the young couple marched out of the toilet looking dishevelled and red in the face. The airhostesses began to look at them sternly, pulling them away down the other end of the plane and looking disapproving.

"What?" Ron asked Harry, "What's so funny?"

"They're not going to the toilet Ron," Harry told him, through giggles.

"Harry-" Hermione began warningly.

"They look very tired," Percy commented, "And it doesn't take an hour to go to the toilet," he said smartly.

Harry burst into so much giggles that he shoved his hand in his mouth.

"_What?" _Ron demanded.

"It's called the Mile-High-Club," Hermione explained to them all, very red in the face, "Sort of like a airplane club but-"

"You can join an aeroplane club?" Percy exclaimed, "How do you join?"

Harry let a snort of laughter, Hermione frowned at him though her mouth was twitching with laughter.

"You..well…" Hermione stuttered.

"Do you have to have membership or something?" George demanded.

That did it for Harry, who burst into so much laughter that the Daily Mail man turned in his seat and glared at him. Ginny stared at her boyfriend who began to shake with laughter, tears running down his face.

"You don't pay membership. It's an actual club, it's more like at term for people who-" Hermione paused watching the young couple walk back to their seat looking very red in the face.

"People who have sex in aeroplane toilets" Hermione finished.

There was silence.

"I'm sorry. _What_?" Percy demanded.

"It's the term for people who have sex in aeroplane toilets" Hermione finished, looking very embarrassed.

Ginny burst into giggle, thinking that it was the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. George's eyebrows flew into his hair and he gaped at Hermione. Ron went bright red.

"You mean to tell me," began Lee, "That those two," he pointed to the young couple, "Where having _sex_ in that toilet?"

Hermione heaved a deep sigh and said in a steadying voice.

"Yes,"

Ron burst into laugher, Harry began to giggle silently. George looked gob smacked and leaned back in his chair looking bemused. Percy mouthed wordlessly and went back to his radio, blushing profusely.

"Wow," said Lee, "They went for a full hour. That's some going!"

Ginny hit Lee for being so rude, Percy glared at him and Hermione leaned back in her chair, smiling slightly.

"Excuse me," Lee asked the next air-hostess, "Care to join the Mile-High-Club with me?"

Lee got a well deserved slap.

**2 Hours to go**

Harry and Ron went for a walk along the plane, finding sitting in the chairs for to long was making their legs hurt. Harry needed the toilet however he wasn't so sure that he wanted to go in one after the couple had been thrown out.

"Can't wait to get to this bloody place now," said Ron, stretching his arms and shaking his legs, "This thing's kinda claustrophobic."

"Tell me about it," said Harry, "Been in the toilets?"

"Well, no," said Ron uncomfortably, "I didn't want to go after that couple..."

"Too right," said Harry and then paused thougthfully, "Hard to believe we'r actually going to Australia isn't it?" he asked.

Ron looked at him curiously, "What d'you mean?" he asked.

Harry shifted his shoulders awkwardly and ran his fingers through his hair subconciously. He didn't really know what he meant to be honest. He felt slightly overwhelmed with the plane journey and the shift in his life since the end of fight with Voldemort. One day he was jumping off dragons into lakes, the next he was drinking chocolate fudge cake on a British Airways flight. He wondered how on earth he could put this into words to Ron who was now staring at him curiously.

"Just..I dunno," he said to Ron , "This time last year I was flying across England with Voldemort on my tail." he paused, "Now, I'm on a plane to Australia." Harry looked at Ron sheepishly, "I have coloured shorts in my suitcase and a floppy hat," he told him.

Ron chuckled knowingly and Harry knew that he understood him.

"I've got flipflops," Ron told Harry conversationally,"Blue ones. They're the weirdest pieces of shoes I've ever seen,"

Harry laughed now and shook his head exasperatly.

"We're a right bunch of losers aren't we?" he asked.

"A bit." teased Ron with a snigger,"Terrified?"

"I am, " said Harry suddenly, and, when Ron threw him a questionable look,"I dunno. I just, how do you manage to get on with things when you're not being whisked away by the Order of the Phoenix late at night and being unable to visit Hogsmede cus you might get killed by some Death Eaters. And your headmaster wants you to come to some cave with him to kill a bit of your enemies soul..."

Ron looked thoughtful as he stared at Harry when he was finished talking.

"I guess," he said to Harry,"That we just act normal. You know," Ron adopted a teasing voice,"How I was before I met you."

"Ha," said Harry sarcastically though he couldn't help but grin,"And may I add Ha."

"You know what I mean," said Ron exasperatly,"We go find Hermione's parents.We drink beer, we eat ice cream we relax. We don't have to steal stuff out of the supermarket under the cloak while Hermione slips some money in the till..."

"We should do that for old times sake," Harry said.

"We should," said Ron brightly,"And you can pitch a tent, we'll huddle around the fire and make Hermione cook mushrooms."

Harry had to laugh at it all and wondered was it such a bad thing that he found quite possibly the worst and best year of his life so funny.

"Come on," said Ron with a mock sigh, pushing Harry down the aisles and slinging an arm round his shoulders,"Let's go sit down. Eat some cake and watch Power Rangers"

"Power Rangers?"

"It's this show I found on the kids channel."

"Ah. Careful where you put your arm or everyone'll think _we_ were in the toilet."

Ron dropped his arm imediatly as Harry sniggered.

**15 MINUTES TO GO**

_"Ladies and Gentlemen this is your captain speaking, We are now approaching Melbourne Australia and are preparing to begin our decent. We ask that you put all seats in the upright position and return all tables to their normal positions,"_

They all beamed at each-other except George.

"This had better be good," he told them furiously.

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So, read and review please! I know it looks like there's no plot at the moment but there is, trust me. Just sort of squint a bit and you'll find it. It's going to be a lot of fun to write!


	5. Chapter Four The 1967 VW Car

Wow, thanks to those of you who reviewed! This chapter is quite short but it's just one part in the story that needs to be done. **It isn't a song fic a the end**, the song lyrics merely are being played on the radio (it's all background stuff).

Disclaimer: Not mine. Lyrics by Led Zeppelin and written by Jimmy Plant and Robert Page.

**Chapter Four-The 1967 VW Camper Van**

Hermione blinked a couple of times before lowering her sunglasses to get a better look.

"Em…"

She didn't know quite how to phrase it. The man was beaming at her expectantly.

"Em, I'm sorry but I thought that the car booked was the T4?"

The man grimaced at her, "Sorry love, but that's all I've got and that's what was booked" he replied in a wonderful broad Australian accent.

Beside Hermione, Harry giggled, covering his mouth with his hand and throwing her a grin. Hermione glared at him repressively and looked irritably at the Car Hire man while Ron, George, Ginny, Lee and Percy were staring at the van in front with the same expression they had worn when Harry reappeared to fight Voldemort.

"I'm sure, this is a lovely van sir…but are you quite, quite sure there wasn't another car booked. One more up to date? The T4 model? " she asked hopefully.

The man beamed at her rather suddenly. He was a short man, slightly porky looking in a shirt that empathised his stomach and bustling muscles. Around his neck he wore a gold chain and on his fingers, golden rings. He wasn't an unattractive man, but his smile was snide, simpering, sleazy and condescending.

"You got a lovely accent love. You English?"

Hermione, momentarily distracted, replied, "Well, Yes" in a nervous manner, "But-"

"My first cousins English," said the man thoughtfully, interrupting Hermione, "Always

hates it when we win at the cricket." he nudged Hermione playfully and winked at the others, "But, no hard feelings eh?"

"What?" Ginny asked him, looking confused at what Hermione knew was the 'Cricket'.

"If we could get back to the car," said Hermione to the salesman in a repressive voice, "I paid for a T4 and-"

"Darling, I don't sell T4s," said the man, now getting slightly exasperated, "The man I sold it too over the phone didn't ask for a one!"

"Is it this one in good condition?" Harry asked the man who nodded firmly.

"Excellent condition. Beds all in good condition. Radio only plays one channel and the clutch is a bit off, bit too tight, but all in all good quality!"

"A tight Clutch?" Hermione asked the man, "I'm not sure I _want_ a car with a tight clutch."

The man rolled his eyes and threw Harry a smile, sort of like somebody had said a joke which nobody but them could understand.

"Women, honestly" he said to Harry wisely, with a roll of the eyes. Hermione glared at the salesman and was very grateful to Harry for glaring at the salesman too.

"A lot of cars have a tight clutch," the salesman said to Hermione, with the air of explaining something to a two year old, "As long as the accelerator is working that's all you need,"

Hermione glanced at the others and wasn't surprised to see that all of them wore extremely confused expressions apart from George who was staring at the salesman with dislike.

"I'm really not sure," said Hermione to man uncertainly who smiled at her again in a simpering, patronising way.

If he doesn't stop that I'm going to kick him, she thought.

"Darling," he began and flung an arm around her, "Listen to me love, I know better than you. It's fine."

Hermione shrugged herself out of her grip and glared at him. She couldn't take any more of this rubbish, "_I'm a man so I can drive better_" nonsense. The Salesman didn't seem to be paying her any attention to her anger.

"Look, it's the last car we have love and unless you want to sit about and wait until next week to get another…."

Hermione groaned inwardly and thought for a split second that they could all just apparate into Melbourne until she remembered that she had no idea about the district and that Kingsley had already paid for this car.

Resigned to defeat, Hermione looked at Harry who threw her a "what can you do?" look. Hermione was grateful to Kingsley for all the work he had put in for them for this trip, but she remembered that she'd asked him to book a T4 Volkswagen car…not this one.

"Fine," Hermione snapped to the man, "I can take it. That's fine."

"Wait,"

To all their surprise, George spoke up. He was staring at the salesman with much dislike and had his arms folded across his chest. The salesman eyed him with suspicion and Hermione could practically smell the testosterone between them.

"We've paid for a good car and you've given us one with a faulty clutch. That could be dangerous. Give us some money back or we'll be taking all of our money back" George growled.

His brothers and sisters looked rather shocked at this very odd outburst from George, the most amount of speaking that he had done since they'd left. Hermione smiled at him gratefully but George appeared not to notice.

The man scowled now, his smooth exterior gone.

"I'm not giving you money back for a faulty clutch!" he spat.

"Excuse me," burst in Percy, "But if something happens to us you could well find a law

suit on your hands!"

"Exactly," said Ron who also joined in, "We paid for a better car, paid more for it than what you've given us. That's unfair tradesmen ship"

"Er, Yeah." said Lee unenthusiastically when the others glared at him to speak, "Erm, very bad."

"It's up to you," said Ginny smartly, smiling at the salesman sweetly.

Perhaps Ginny softened him up because his expression seemed to soften when he spoke next.

"I'll give you 50 Dollars for it," the man growled to Hermione with a winning smile.

"Fifty!" cried Hermione, "We paid over three hundred for it!"

"Fine," spat the man, "Sixty"

"Eighty" said Ron firmly, butting in and grinning at Hermione.

"Seventy five" barked the man.

"Give us ninety five and we'll go quietly," said Harry, staring at the man with the same sort of glaring look he reserved for Death Eaters. The man recoiled slightly and glanced over to Ron and George as well, both who were glaring at him fiercely.

"Fine," he snapped in a forced pleasant voice, "I need someone to come in and sign some papers. Perhaps that lovely little girl over there will help me come to get the keys?"

"I'll go," growled Ron before Percy could curse him with his wand and George could hit him, which, Hermione noticed, was what he was close to doing. Harry watched the salesman like a Hawk, hatred in his eyes.

The man smiled at them like he had a tooth ache and walked away, Ron in tow, to get the keys for the car.

Hermione let out a frustrated groan and kicked the dirt in the ground. They had just come off a 12 Hour flight, they were jet lagged, it was sweltering hot and they were standing in a car hire park just outside the Melbourne airport with bags full of luggage. And now they had to go and drive into Melbourne, in _this._

"Hermione," came Percy's voice and Hermione inwardly prepared herself for the questions that were about to come, "What is _that_ anyway?"

Hermione looked at Harry again, her 'I lived with Muggles and understand their ways' buddy for the trip. Harry grimaced at her warily. Percy and the others were looking at the car with somewhat disgust. They were all tired and irritable and Hermione was very much not ready to take their teasing and annoying remarks over a mistake that wasn't her fault.

Sighing, she turned to the car and threw it her own dirty look.

"This," she told Percy, "Is our home, car and best friend for the foreseeable future."

It was, a 1973, Baywindow Westfalia Volkswagen Camper van, Pastel light blue with a white roof and two very large lights on the front. A monster if Hermione had ever seen one. There was rust on some of the door handles, some of the paint was coming off along the side of the car and it looked distinctly old and weary.

"Well," said Ginny, tilting her head and throwing Hermione a sympathetic look, "It looks, kinda cute"

Hermione smiled gratefully at her friend but nothing could hide the fact that _this _was what they had been reduced to for the next couple of weeks.

"That's a _car_?" asked Lee, "I've seen more interesting dung beetles."

"Lee!" cried Ginny, shooting Lee a dirty look and glancing at Hermione pointedly.

"What dreadful design," said Percy, "No wonder the Australians can't manage without us!"

"Percy!" Hermione cried.

"Yeah, and Volkswagen's German Percy," Harry pointed out. Percy gave a knowing smirk.

"That explains it," he said knowingly, "I mean," Percy looked at Hermione and Harry, "Didn't we used to run this country?"

Hermione rolled her eyes at Percy's irritating bigotry and stared at the car.

"Here we are!"

Ron appeared out from the little shed the man used for his office and was carrying a small set of keys and a bag of pieces of paperwork. Ron seemed to be beaming and had a silly smile on his face. When Hermione looked at him he shook his head and pressed a finger to his lips.

"Here," said the man to Hermione, handing her the keys, "I'll show you all the features."

Trailing her feet, Hermione followed the man over to car where he pulled back the sliding doors. A rather musty smell rolled out and mixed with the heat, it was awful.

Hermione and the others crowded round to have a look at it, all of them looked unimpressed.

It was a small yet cosy camper van with two seats in the front and a row of seats in the back and ones behind the two front seats. A small table and cooker sat in the middle of the back seats while there was a bed space behind two of the back door seats. Two beds lay on top of the car where the roof pulled. The kitchen unit looked chipped and their was a moth hole in one of the seats. A rather nasty looking stain lay on the floor and on the bed. It smelt of a mossy, musty smell and something Hermione could not quite define.

"Wow," said Hermione, "It's, erm, small"

"But it'll do you all right love," said the man, winking at her, "What are you all here for anyway? Sightseeing?"

"Roadtrip." said Hermione softly, staring around at the car sadly.

"Good idea. Our country got lots to see. No thanks to you lot though, eh?" said the man with a smirk and a nudge at Hermione. Percy beamed at the salesman.

"Come here," said the man to Hermione, "And I'll show you the front. I take it you're driving?"

The man showed Hermione how to start the car, roll down the windows, and start the windscreen wipers, all with the condescending attitude of a man explaining to a women how to drive. Hermione listened to him and gritted her teeth. She noticed, sometime as the man was explaining the accelerator, that George was listening too.

"And this," said the man proudly, "Is the Radio!"

He pressed a button on the radio dial and it roared into life.

"_You need coolin', baby, I'm not foolin',  
I'm gonna send you back to schoolin',  
Way down inside honey, you need it,  
I'm gonna give you my love,  
I'm gonna give you my love" _

Hermione jumped as the sound of Led Zeppelin roared from the radio box. The guitars echoed round the car park and the others jumped back from the car.

"It's very loud!" shouted Hermione.

"It's a very good radio!" cried the man with a smile and Hermione tried to smile back though she wanted nothing more than to punch the man in the face.

"I think you're all set" quipped the man over the music, "Ring me if there's any problems"

And I'm sure there will be many, thought Hermione.

"_Wait!" _

Hermione turned around to see Percy beaming at the man.

"Weasley family Photo!" Percy cried.

"Oh God no"

"Quick! somebody slap him"

"Slap him? Somebody give a good kick up the-"

"Can you take a photo?" Percy asked the man hopefully, "It's for our parents."

"Sure," said the man brightly and Percy handed him the camera, jumped over to his friends and family and pulled them into a strangle hold hug. Harry's glasses falling off, before any of them could make a run for it.

"_AH!" _

"PERCY!"

"Thank you very much!" Percy said to the man, taking back his camera.

"Not a problem!" said the man, as grumbling, everyone began to put their luggage in the car. They had all brought quite small ones, shrinking their things with the same charm had used on her beaded bag.

"Thank you very much!" called the man as they all hopped in, Hermione taking the front seat with Harry and slamming her door.

"Come on," said Ginny, "Let's get out of her quick before he tries to rape us all"

"Oh my God," said Harry, staring around the inside of the car, "You do realise this was probably full of hippies at one stage?" he asked Hermione as she pulled her seat up to a comfortable height, " And probably all died while taking Ecstasy tablets and singing Kubyeya my lord?"

"Ha Ha" Hermione told him as Harry grinned at her, "I'm sure one of us can try and break the tradition."

She put the keys in the ignition and immediately, Led Zeppelin came back on the radio again, the guitars blasting across the car park again, this time the song 'Ramble on'.

Taking a deep breath, Hermione pushed the clutch in while putting the car in first gear, and began to push down on the accelerator while pulling up the hand break.

She stalled. The car went forward before stopping. Lee fell of his chair and collapsed into George, Ginny shrieked with laughter.

"_But now its time for me to go,  
The autumn moon lights my way.  
For now I smell the rain,  
And with it pain,  
And its headed my way.  
Ah, sometimes I grow so tired,  
_

_But I know I've got one thing I got to do"_

The radio blasted and Hermione looked at Harry uncertainly. The salesman, who was standing nearby, threw her a questionable look. Hermione threw him a smile, feeling humiliation burn her face.

"Did you put the clutch in?" Harry asked her.

"_Yes" _said Hermione with a sigh and tried again. 

"Ramble on,  
And now's the time, the time is now  
To sing my song.  
I'm goin round the world,  
I got to find my girl, on my way.  
Ive been this way ten years to the day, ramble on,  
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams" 

The car started again and she stalled again.

"Bring your foot up slower," Harry told Hermione, watching her feet as she tried again, getting more frustrated as the man in the car seemed to smirk at her.

"What's going on?" asked Ron, he and George, kneeling on the seats behind Hermione and Harry and watching Hermione.

" I keep stalling," Hermione muttered to them both.

"_Got no time to for spreadin roots,  
The time has come to be gone.  
And tho our health we drank a thousand times,  
Its time to ramble on"_

She tried again, very hard to concentrate while Led Zeppelin blared in the back-ground.

"I knew it was that bloody clutch," said George suddenly, very sullenly, "Harry, swap places."

Looking confused, Harry got out the car as did George who climbed into Harry's empty seat.

_  
"Ramble on,  
And nows the time, the time is now  
To sing my song.  
Im goin round the world,  
I got to find my girl, on my way.  
Ive been this way ten years to the day, ramble on,  
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams"_

Hermione tried again on the car, feeling very embarrassed again.

"Slow your clutch foot again," George said to Hermione, "Pull your accelerator foot up slowly too,"

Hermione tried again, George telling her, "Slower," again.

The Car roared into life.

"_Genius!" _Ron cried to his brother and leaned round and kissed Hermione on the cheek.

Hermione watched as the salesman beamed at her and then walked back into his hut.

"Step on it will you?" Ron said to Hermione, hurry in voice.

"Ron don't rush me," Hermione snapped at him.

"No, it's not that." said Ron nervously, glancing towards the salesman, "It's just that I nicked his own car keys…"

"_What!" _

"Nice one Ron!" cried Lee, even George looked at his brother with some pride.

"Just a quick summoning charm. Go!" cried Ron, "Go before he notices!"

"Ron, how could you!"

"Excellent plan Ron!" Percy said gleefully.

"Nice one!" giggled Ginny.

"But it's _wrong_! Ron-"

"Floor it Hermione!" cried Lee.

"But-"

"GO!" they all roared and Hermione stepped on the accelerator hurriedly, the car speeding off out of the car park and out onto the rather deserted road.

_  
"Ramble on!,  
And nows the time, the time is now  
To sing my song.  
Im goin round the world,  
I got to find my girl, on my way.  
Ive been this way ten years to the day, ramble on,  
Gotta find the queen of all my dreams" _

Everybody but George and Hermione, cheered as they sped up the road, the car going

surprisingly fast.

"Take that you slimy bastard!" cried Ron and when they reached the top of the road threw the keys out of the window and into some dirt nearby. Everybody but Hermione cheered.

"This is awful! She cried, "That's stealing!"

"Oh ssh!" Ron told her teasingly, "Nobody treats you like an idiot!"

And he leaned around and kissed her on the cheek.

Hermione was still in shock as Ron leaned back in his seat, getting patted on the back by everyone.

Hermione looked at George who looked slightly bemused beneath his surly demeanour. Behind Hermione, she could see the slight sight of a figure behind her, running out of the car park lot and shaking their fists at them.

"Did you put him up to this?" Hermione demanded of George.

And to her shock, George smiled at her and chuckled to himself looking out the window and smiling.

Hermione changed gear and looked to the road ahead.

"_Gonna ramble on, sing my song  
Gotta keep-a-searchin for my baby...  
Gonna work my way, round the world  
I cant stop this feelin in my heart  
Gotta keep searchin for my baby  
I cant find my bluebird!  
Id listen to my bluebird sing but I cant find my blue bird  
A-keep-a ramblin baby…"_

Oh this was going to be one _hell _of an interesting trip.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The man in the parking lot watched as the kids drove off in the car. He felt fury that they had got away, gotten away so easily. How could he have been so stupid?

Gritting his teeth, the man looked back into the parking lot and at the man who stared at him with an apprehensive, nervous look.

"I don't know where they're going." he told the man, "I tried to get it out of that red haired one. I tried to bring you that girl…they wouldn't tell-tell me what they were doing. What's your problem anyway? Why do you want them?"

The man felt irritable now. With a flourish of his wand he flicked it at the man.

"_Stupefy!" _

The man crumpled to the floor and the other one gave a nasty sigh. Looking round the parking lot he surveyed the muggle contraptions he had never really understood. He glanced at the man on the ground, he really should revive him and ask which one was best.

He had something to catch.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Look, it was hardly going to be a Harry Potter story without some mysterious goings on. It's a big part of the story-sort of-but this story. As I've already said though, this is a fun light hearted story mostly with teenage angst, much snogging and drinking Alcohol lol.

Read and Review.


	6. Chapter 6 The American Part One

Really Sorry for the long update folks but...I'm back! I'm off for the Summer after a second Semester of Hell. I'm going to try and get his finished as starting next semester I'm in 3rd year hell and interning in the Northern Ireland gov. All second Semester I've been Model UNing lol. Anyway, in a return to our regular scheduled programming…..

This chapter contains some off remarks about Americans by Percy. This isn't my personal view, I do have plenty of American friends and cousins who live in Clearwater, but Percy just strikes me as the type of English guy who laments the loss of the British Empire. So to all Americans, don't take offense. The characterisation of the Americans is based purely off some Americans I met a couple of years ago. I happen to have it confirmed that not all of you are ditzy lol.

Disclaimer: Belongs to JK Rowling. Plot belongs to me. Lyrics belong to Fragma.

Words from "Toca's miracle" by Fragma, a really great dance song you should all check out for its cheesy European Glory.

This chapter was eventually split into Two as it flowed better.

**Chapter Five-The American**

It was around 20 minutes into the journey that George discovered that they had no air conditioning. He felt only minorly worried about this. Secretly hoping Hermione might just lose it and then tell them all to apparate. Ever since they had left the parking lot, she had been in a very tetchy mood. Glancing nervously out the back window, George knew she was expecting the man from the parking lot to be chasing them. Ron _had _stolen his keys' and thrown them out the window. She had been furious and had refused to speak to anyone since they had set off.

The others, who where all in the back seat, were being very boisterous and it was making Hermione even more tetchy. George knew that she was tired from the flight, hungry, and in general being a female. The heat in the car had been reaching fever pitch, so much so that they had thrown open the windows. The sun from the Australian sky was burning right onto them.

"What d'you mean?" demanded Hermione, when George told her of the situation, glancing at George furiously as she glanced nervously behind her and at the road in front.

"The Air-Con's not working," said George in a bored voice, not very much concerned. He tapped the button on the dashboard, nothing but hot air flying out of it.

"George," snapped Hermione, "You have to leave it on for a while. Maybe it'll come on soon!"

George shook his head, "I've had it on for over twenty minutes now." he said in a bored voice.

"_Damm!" _hissed Hermione and banged her hand off the steering wheel angrily, glaring at the road in front of her. George thought she looked like an angry banshee, "That awful, awful man!" she cried, "I knew there was things about this car he wasn't telling us!" What a wretched old….bastard!"

"Hermione, did you just _swear_?"

Ron had leaned over the seat to stare at his girlfriend in admonishment.

"Ron, please don't annoy me," Hermione snapped in constrained angry voice, glaring at him through the wing mirror.

"Why, what's wrong?" asked Ron, looking peeved off at Hermione's anger and throwing her a hurtful look.

Oh please don't have a domestic, George thought. Te he last thing he needed was for Ron and Hermione to have a fight. He was too damm tired to laugh.

"The air-conditioning's not on" George told him.

"The what?" asked Ron blankly.

"The air conditioning Ron!" said Hermione in an exasperated voice, "It keeps the car cool."

"Ah," said Ron, "I wondered why I was sweating like a pig."

"Ron, pigs don't sweat!" Hermione snapped, "What a ridiculous simile!"

Ron glared at his girlfriend, now looking thoroughly angry. George stared at her too, she was looking very pissed off. Her hair was starting to go very curly and frizzy in the heat and her cheeks where warm. This coupled with the fact that she was glaring at everyone and everything, it made her look like a banshee with a bad hair day.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Ron demanded of his girlfriend.

"Ron-"

"Oh god."

It was Ginny. The others in the back had decided to listen in.

"Can you two not have a fight right now?" Ginny asked them both in an exasperated voice, "Hermione, you should let George take over, you look tired."

Hermione looked furious, "Ginny, I paid for this car and I'm going to drive it!" she stated shrilly.

"Oh for goodness sake Hermione-"

"Oh my God."

George looked around. It was Lee. He had climbed into the bed's in the back seat and was staring down at them with a scared expression.

"What?" asked Hermione snapped apprehensively from the front seat, looking at lee through the mirror.

Lee looked up at them all with a disgusted look on his face, his nose wrinkled up.

"Guys," he said in a calm voice that suggested he was repressing hysteria, "There's a stain on this bed, and I don' t think it's sick…."

"What d'you mean?" Ginny asked Lee, turning around in her seat to look at Lee, he was right behind her.

Ginny stopped in her questioning when Lee threw her a meaningful look.

Instantly she gasped and looked down at the seat she was sitting on.

Oh God no, thought George with disgust.

"Ewh, there's some on our seat!"

"AH!"

Percy and Ginny leaped out of their seats and clamoured onto Harry and Ron's, Lee bounded over the bed and onto their seat too, jumping on Ron's knee while throwing his arms around Ron, hoisting his legs up off the ground. Ginny jumped on Harry's knees (oh how inconspicuous, thought George) , partially hitting Harry's stomach in the process. Percy jumped on top of Harry too, much to George's amusement. Harry gave an 'oof!" of exclamation as what George knew was Percy's boney arse hitting his knees.

"Oh please can you all get back in your seats!" moaned Hermione.

"Percy gerrof!" Ron yelled. His face pressed into the seat as Percy's legs flung themselves over the length of the seat.

"Ouch! _God Percy do you have sticks in your bum?"  
_

"Lee, your hands are going places I'd rather they weren't!"

"Lee, I love you, but not that much."

"Lucky you lot, I've got both on two knees!"

"Oh for goodness sake what's wrong?" demanded Hermione exasperatly, looking very annoyed.

"Hermione, there's there's…." Percy seemed stumbled to find the words.

"Hermione, someone has either had too much sex or went to the toilet in that bed!" Lee cried in a trembling voice.

Ewh…..thought George.

"What?" Percy looked at Lee in confusion, an odd thing to see seeing how he had his arms wrapped around Harry's neck. "Sex…what do you mean? What's that got to do with..."

Everyone looked at Percy incredulously, including Hermione in the front seat and George who had managed to come out of his stupor to look at Percy with disbelief.

Lee blinked and looked at Percy in somewhat pity. He looked at Percy pointedly.

It took a couple of minutes for comprehension to dawn on Percy's face.

"EWH!"

"There we go!" Lee quipped.

Percy jumped off Harry's leg causing Ginny to fall his knees and fall on the ground.

"Ouch! Percy you _git!"_

"Hermione, I ask that you turn around and take back this car this instance!" Percy demanded.

"Oh Percy lighten up!" snapped Ginny, rubbing her head and glaring at her older brother.

"Yeah, It's not that big a deal," said Harry.

"Well, I think we have a nomination for sleeping in that bed. Have fun Harry." said Ron sardonically.

"Oh yeah like you don't have the same on your-"

"_Ginny!"  
_

"Oh for God's sake Percy-"

"I can tell you," commented Harry dryly, "It is nice to know that the last people who slept in this car probably had an orgy."

"Ewh"

"Why don't we keep with tradition, there's enough of us." said Lee dryly.

"Lee!" snapped Percy completely scandalised.

"Yeah, why not?" joked Ginny with a grumble, "You do that Lee and Percy can take a Weasley family photo."

"Yeah and Mum can put it on her mantlepiece" said Ron sarcastically.

"_That is enough!"  
_

Percy stamped on his feet hard and stood as far as he would go in the very small car so that he was looking down on them all.

"Percy," said Hermione with anger in her voice, "Percy, I can't see out the-"

"_Sssh Hermione_! I am about to make an important speech!"

Hermione threw Percy a look of death through the wind mirror. George felt himself grab onto the door handle. That girl was going to explode any minute.

"Right," said Percy in forced calming voice, forcing an important look on his face.

"I am the eldest here and as the eldest I should like to make it known that I will not accept childish behaviour around me. I do not find the fact that-that-that-"

"Someone had a lot of sex in that bed."

"Sssh Ron! Whatever it is, I don't find it funny, stop laughing Harry!. I should ask that you all stop making stupid and inappropriate jokes in front of Ginny!"

George groaned inwardly. He seen his little sister's head shoot up to glare at Percy and throw him a look of pure anger.

"Percy I am not a child!"

"Ginny, you are 16 years old and-"

"Percy, I really can't see and-" Hermione was trying to talk now, trying to get a word in.

"I'm a teenager!" Ginny was yelling at Percy now.

"Hardly enough to being exposed to this sort of behaviour!"

"Oh please Percy," said Lee, "Like Ginny doesn't know what-"

"Lee!"

"Ginny," said Percy, now looking down at his little sister, "You need to understand-"

"I've had enough of you treating me like a child!"

Ginny's face was furious now. Hermione was grinding her teeth, looking ready to scream.

"You _are_ a child!" Percy snapped at his sister, "You are too young and-"

George winced, waiting for the blow to strike.

"I'm 16! Nearly 17!"

"You're too young!"

"_I was when you left!" _Ginny snarled at him, "So you finally came back when I grew up, congratulations" _  
_

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

Hermione slammed the breaks on the car so suddenly she caught George off guard. Percy toppled onto Harry again and Ginny slided down into Ron's knees.

The damage was done however.

Percy was looking immensely guilty, a half furious, half angry look on his face. Staring at Ginny with an uncomfortable look. Ginny was glaring at Percy with an angry look on her face, breathing heavily. There was nothing but uncomfortable, awkward silence for a few minutes.

Hermione was looking angry at everyone. Which didn't help.

"That is ENOUGH of the fighting!" shouted Hermione furiously, everyone looking up at her in fear, "We are all tired, sleepy and irritable. I am trying to drive and you are all driving me MAD!"

George backed up against the car doors. Trying to keep himself away from her. She was scarier than his mother. When Hermione Granger got angry her eyes glazed over and they didn't seem to want to close, fire burned in them and her hands shook with repressed fury. Her hair seemed to crackle with energy and she seemed to enervate this power to make every single person in the car look at her with close to fear in her eyes. All of them flinched when she looked at each of them sternly. Lee gulped rather comically.

God Help Ron!, thought George.

"Now," she said in low furious voice, "We are at restaurant. We are going to go in and have something to eat and you are all going to go in and _shut up!"  
_

They all exited rather quickly, George darted out of the door in an instant, leaving Hermione to sit in the same position in the front seat, glaring out the front window and breathing heavily. George noticed Percy leave the quickest, he marched right out of the car, looking very upset. He didn't look at anyone as he stormed into a rather small diner which lay on the side of the road, slamming the door behind him. Ginny stood and watched him go in, looking very uncomfortable and guilty. Harry came up behind her, put an arm around her waist and led her inside. Lee followed, glancing back at Hermione with something close to awe before he entered the diner. George made to follow Lee when he glanced back at Hermione, who was looking very close to tears.

Ron got out of the car and walked round to Hermione's door tentivly, leaning his head threw the window.

"Mione?" he asked nervously, "D'you want to come out of the car?"

George's ear seemed to perk up. _Mione?  
_

Hermione seemed to sag into her seat, running her hands over her face.

"I'll be in, in a minute." she said to Ron in a brittle voice. Ron nodded,leaned in and kissed her cheek, with a nervous look he walked into the restaurant.

George was hesitant before he approached the car, not really knowing why he was doing it. He thought it went completely against his persona of being the grumpy old git.

"Hermione?"

She looked up at him in a tired fashion, slightly surprised at him being there.

"What?" she asked him grumpily.

George considered her. How could a girl who had killed bits of Voldemort's soul, fought off death eaters and managed to live in a tent with Ron and Harry for a year go mad over this now?

"You need to let me drive," he told her seriously, "I'll do the rest. You sit in the back with the semen covered bed's"

Her mouth twitched slightly but she frowned at him.

"How do you know how to drive?" she asked him, peering at him curiously.

"Fred," said George before he could think.

Hermione blinked at him, surprised at the mention. George felt himself freeze up, blink furiously and look away.

"George-"

He walked away before she could finish.

"Damm it," he heard Hermione hiss.

--

Hermione slumped into her seat with a groan as George walked away. _Why_ did she have to mention the car? She knew that Fred or at least one of the two twins would have been able to drive seeing how they managed to pick up Harry in the Anglia in their second year.

She climbed out of the car with a sigh and slammed it with an outburst of anger.

Stupid car. Stupid car park man who gave them a crap car. Hermione knew she was being irrational, the lack of sleep was making her angry, but she couldn't help it.

Hermione walked towards the diner with caution, wondering what to say to them all. She supposed that she should apologise, it was what she deserved for being a total bitch. Now Percy and Ginny were probably not speaking and George was upset, for a while it looked like he was back to normal. Great.

She walked into the diner and greeted the air-conditioning gratefully. It was an old style American diner with booths for eating and a sort of bar where you could sit and eat. Air conditioner fans whizzed about on the ceiling and there was a light chatter around the restaurant.

Hermione spotted her friends in a booth in the back of the restaurant. Percy was sitting at the end of a booth looking out the window, a scowl on his face. Ginny was sitting opposite him and kept flicking her eyes towards Percy and looking upset while Harry sat beside her, his arm around her shoulders and staring at the menu. Ron sat beside Percy, his knee jangling in time to Johnny Cash who was playing on the radio. Lee, who sat beside Ron, stared at the restaurant menu. George sat beside Harry and he looked miserable.

Hermione sighed as she looked at them all. It looked positively awkward at that table. As she walked towards them Ron looked up at her and spotted her. He grimaced at her. The others looked up at her as she reached the table…..

"Hey! Excuse me?"

The voice was American and Hermione nearly jumped. Instinctively, she pulled out her wand and spun around gripping it tight in her hands.

"Oh-I'm sorry!"

She came face to face with a teenage girl. She jumped back a little as Hermione pointed the wand at her chest.

"Hi." Hermione stammered.

Lee and Percy's mouth's dropped open. Ron's eyes trailed down over the girls body and Harry had gone oddly flushed.

The girl had long blonde hair which went down past her shoulders. Her skin was tanned and she had pearly white teeth. Her breasts where exasperated by the not so tiny vest top that she had on and the short skirt which seemed to emphasise her legs.

She eyed Hermione's wand with fear and backed off a little.

"Wow," she said to Hermione nervously, "And I thought only Buffy carried stakes."

After Ginny gave a rather pointed cough, Hermione hastily stuffed her wand in her pocket.

"Sorry," said Hermione to the girl hastily, "It's our only weapon. You scared me."

The girl frowned.

"Weapon against what?" she asked Hermione nervously.

Hermione blinked, thinking now would be a good time to cast a memory charm. Yes, she thought to herself however, weapon against what?

"Em, Dingos." Hermione said to the girl quickly, thinking up the most ridiculous and weird suggestion she could think of.

"Must be bad dingos." said the girl with a nervous laugh, still eyeing her warily.

There was then an awkward moment when Hermione and the girl merely stared at each other.

"Can I help you?" Hermione asked the girl nervously.

Her face split into a casual grin, she beamed at Hermione.

"Yes! I need total help. Me and my friends are here on a trip, would you take a photo of us?"

Hermione blinked.

"Sure," she said to the girl who grinned at her.

"Great!" exclaimed the girl and turned around,"Guys, these people are going to take a photo of us!"

The girl called over to a group of girls sitting in a booth at the front of the diner, all of them looking around Hermione's age and wearing beach clothes. Hermione glanced at Lee and thought he looked like he was about to faint. Ron's eye's were wide.  
The girls were giggly as they came over.

"Oh my God I can not believe you just asked them!"

"I told you I would do it!"

The one who had stopped Hermione grinned at her.

"I suppose I should say hi," she gushed, "I'm Kaitlin!"

"I'm Ashly!" said another girl.

"I'm Rebecca!" said another, flashing eyes over at Lee who was literally drooling.

"Hi," said Hermione, very unenthusiastically.

"What's your name?" Kaitlin asked curiously.

"Hermione," said Hermione very annoyed by their over exuberance.

The girls stared at her for a moment in confusion before one burst out.

"Oh my God, you're British!"

Hermione glanced at Ginny who was now looking half disgusted and half terrified.

"Yes," said Hermione, not sure why being British was such a big deal, "I'm English."

The girls looked delighted. Kaitlin cast her eyes over at the table.

"You're all British?" she asked with interest.

"I'm _Lee_!"

Hermione groaned as Lee bounded out of his seat, grinning like some sort of mad scientist. Rather unceremoniously, he bounded out of his seat with a swagger and stuck out a hand.

"Hi there." he said to Kaitlin with a cocky smile.

"Hi," said Kaitlin shaking his hand and smiling sweetly at him.

"You're American?" Lee asked them all with much gusto.

"We're from Florida!" Ashly gushed, "We're staring college next fall."

"Eh?"

"You where saying about that photo?" Hermione burst out in a forceful manner, getting rather worried about Ron's interest in these women.

They didn't seem to listen.

"What's your names?" the girls had decided to draw their attention to the others at the table. They all looked terrified.

"I'm Ron," said Ron, eyes gazing over the girls, much to Hermione's annoyance.

"Harry," stammered Harry.

"P-Percy," squeaked Percy, looking rather stiff.

"George," grunted George.

"Ginny" snapped Ginny.

"Oh wow your accents are so cool!" said Rebbecca.

"I totally love Prince William." sighed Kaitlin.

"Can you all get in our photo too?" asked Ashley.

Hermione weakly agreed and the others, looking rather perturbed by it all, got up to let the girls sit down beside them.

"Great," muttered Percy to Hermione as he got up to give one girl his seat, "Just what we need. Bloody Americans this early in the morning."

Hermione rolled her eyes.

The photo was taken quite quickly. One girl sat next to Percy who didn't move as he smiled thinly to the camera. His arms where pinned to his sides and he seemed scared of even looking at her body which was very exposed. Lee sat beside Kaitlin and made quite an arse out of himself as he flung an arm around her and gave a shit eating grin to the camera. Ron, to Hermione's continued anger, merely stared at the girl with an open mouth, staring rather obviously at one of the girls breasts.

"Thanks, you guys are such help!" said Kaitlin brightly, sitting up from the table and taking back her camera.

"No problem." snarled Hermione, even though it was.

"We'll see you guys around!" called Ashly as they headed out the door, "We're in the area. Look us up!"

"Buy me a drink next time you see us!" said Rebbecca.

"Bye!" called Lee cheerfully, "Bye-_Oh my god how fit were they?"  
_

"Lee." Sighed Hermione, flopping down onto the seat with exhaustion and anger. Glaring at Ron who was completely oblivious to her.

Was she not good enough for him, she thought. Was there something distinctly plain about her so that Ron felt the need oogle other women in front of her? She thought they'd gone past that stage already. Feeling herself getting more angry by the minute she leaned back in her chair and listened in to the others conversation which was, to her annoyance, about the American girls who had just come in.

Brilliant, why don't we name them all Fleur?, Hermione thought.

"Well they were fit!" Lee was protesting.

"I'm exhausted from just looking at them." said Ginny with a grumble.

"They're Americans." said Percy matter of factly, ", read the small print. "

"I like Americans," said Hermione in a defensive voice, entering the conversation without knowing it.

"Who the hell's Prince William?" asked Ron.

"Our future king." said Harry with boredom.

"We have a king?"

"We have a Queen."

"We have a _Queen?"  
_

"Oh for God's sake Ron of course we do" snapped Hermione, "She's the head of state."

Ron didn't respond. Hermione felt her anger well up.

"I didn't even know that." said Ginny.

"I did." said George.

"What does she do?" asked Ron to Hermione who promptly ignored him.

"She's our greatest ruler!" said Percy excitably, "She's the head of state of Australia too!"

"She owns this place?"

"Ron," sighed Percy, "We used to rule the world."

"_Oh Percy no we did not!" _snapped Hermione.

"The Queen turns up at heads of state meetings and wears diamonds. Either that or she hangs about her palace and does nothing." said Harry to Ron.

"Can we please stop talking about our stupid country?" begged Ginny.  
They all shut up.

--

"You know, just cus she was a Yank doesn't mean you can't deny that she's fit"

"What's a Yank?"

"An American."

"Oh."

"She was rather pretty," admitted Percy reluctantly.

They were finished in the diner, the sight of food and pretty women making at least the boys forget their fights with each other in the car. Walking back into the heat, the combination of food and heat made them all feel rather groggy and sluggish. George who hadn't been in a good mood since they had stopped, didn't count.

"I bet I could pull her if we meet her again," said Lee to Percy cockily, "She was making eyes at me."

Percy grunted non-commitedly.

"Well, hang on," asked Ginny, "If an American is a Yank what are we?"

"We're Limeys'" growled Hermione, standing a little behind them all and well away from Ron, "The English are limey's, the Scots are Jocks, the Welsh are taffy's and the Irish are Paddy's."

"Huh." said Ginny, looking confused, throwing an eye at Percy to see if he would look at her.

They all climbed in the car, Hermione getting in the driving seat after insisting to George that she was fit to drive. Yawning, they all sat down into their seats, getting ready for a long drive. Ginny curled up beside Harry and cast a hopeful eye at Percy who was still not trying to look at his younger sister. Ron lay back in his seat and closed his eyes contently.

Hermione glared at Ron threw the wing mirror and revved the car loudly to vent out her frustration. He hadn't seemed to notice that she hadn't talked to him all threw lunch at all. He hadn't even spoken to her!

Bastard, she thought.

Hermione glanced at George as she pulled her seat-belt on. George hadn't smiled or spoken since they had stopped at the diner. Ever since her comment. Not exactly feeling in the best of moods either, she felt that maybe she could get him in a good mood while they drived. The sooner they got to the centre of Melbourne the better. Hermione placed the keys in the ignition and started the car.

The car gave a rather weak rumble then went silent. Feeling perhaps she had put a little too much rev before hand, she tried again. This time, the car did the same thing.

Hermione felt her stomach drop as she looked at the petrol gauge.

"Oh no."

"What?" came a collective apprehensive groan from all around the car.

Hermione gazed at the petrol gage, closed her eyes and opened them again, willing her eyes not to be seeing what she was seeing. It was practically zero.

"I-I think we're running out of petrol." She told them all in a bitter voice.

"Wh-"

"Please, _Don't ask me what petrol is Ron!" _she snarled at him.

Ron glared at her in a hurt manner and opened his mouth to respond. _  
_

"Hang on," said Harry, leaning over Hermione from his seat behind her, cutting off Ron, "Have we actually got no petrol or are we just low on it?"

"We're low," said Hermione with a groan and thumping her head on the steering wheel, "The car's probably running on petrol fumes. _Why_ didn't I think of this!"

"Well we'll just refuel then won't we?" asked George.

"The next petrol station is a couple of miles away." sighed Hermione from under her hair, her head still sitting on the wheel. She wanted nothing more than to yell at Ron and then go to bed.

"What shall we do?" asked Ginny.

"Let's drive on for a bit and stop at the nearest hotel," said Hermione, lifting her head reluctantly and sighing.

"But, I thought we had to get into Melbourne to find your parents?" asked Harry.

"We do. We just don't have enough petrol to _get_ us to Melbourne." said Hermione irritably.

"Can you not just use your wand to get this thing to start?" asked Ron.

"No, because I need to have something in this car to get it to move." Hermione snapped at him. Ron continued to look annoyed.

"We can't conjure petrol?" asked Percy.

"No, but if we did I doubt we'd be this car. I'd be rich and proabaly living in a mansion. George Bush would be out of a job anyway…"

"Excuse me?"

"Forget it," groaned Hermione, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"So, what we drive on and stop in some hotel?"

"Yep, I dont have enough energy to make the van up tonight. Normally we're going to be sleeping out here. If we drive on too far and the engine fails we'll have to go out and push."

"But, your parents?"

"They're not going to go anywhere," Hermione said sadly.

END OF PART ONE.


	7. Chapter 7 Part Two

**PART TWO: The curious incident of the Bar Brawl. **

When they arrived at their stay for the evening, Hermione in more of a bad mood than usual, kicking the van with venom and storming off into the hotel, Percy decided maybe he should take on Lee with his earlier comment.

"You know," said Percy, pulling out his suitcase from the boot of the car, "What makes you think I couldn't ask out that American girl?"

Lee, who was watching in amusement as Percy dragged his suitcase out of the car erratically, snorted.

"Excuse me?" he asked with a snigger.

Percy fixed the younger man with a cold stare, just because Lee was vastly more confident than he was and came off with witty sexual innuendos, did not mean that Percy felt threatened by him.

"I said," said Percy, "What makes you think I couldn't make that nice American girl go with me?"

"'Go with you?'" asked Lee with a snigger, " Percy, you are way too polite."

"My parents brought me up well,"

"They also brought up Fred and George. Percy, are you saying that you think you could pull the American girl?"

"No. Not 'pull' her. Ask her out."

"Percy, we're on holiday slash family rescue mission. She lives in America you live in England. If you want this girl its for a fling only…." Lee paused thoughtfully, "That's a really good title slash storyline for a movie."

"I don't want a fling. I don't do flings." Percy told Lee, "Unlike you, I don't use and abuse women."

"Lee doesn't get women" George interjected suddenly, appearing round the side of the car pulling his own suitcase out of the boot and walking away. Lee threw him a scathing look.

"Ok," Lee said to Percy, recovering from this minor blow, "You don't do flings. You still couldn't have her anyway."

Percy felt his pride take a punch. He'd had girlfriends, women. Not exactly as long a list as Charlie ever had but still, a list all the same.

"I could have her." Percy said to Lee, "If we see her before this trip is out, I'll ask her out."

Lee shook his head again and fixed Percy with an almost sympathetic stare.

"Percy, she won't want to go out." Lee said, "She'll be looking for you-know-what only."

Percy felt himself go red. Unlike Lee Jordon, Molly Weasly had brought up her sons with respectability and gentlemanly manners. They did not under any circumstances have flings with women for merely one night stands and then leave the next day.

Except Charlie had done it a hundred times.

Bill had certainly done it once.

And George and well, Percy felt his heart sink, Fred.

Percy Weasley was not Charlie Weasley.

"I don't treat women that way," Percy told Lee.

"Well, even so. You still couldn't get a kiss off her."

Percy scowled as Lee walked away grinning cockily. He took that comment personally. Percy knew he could get a girl. Any girl he wanted. He just didn't want to treat them like they were a piece of rubbish.

"_You are joking Perce! I haven't heard you joke since-" _

Fred had always been good at getting girls. Bill had told him that at his wedding Fred had pulled a number of Veela cousins who later cursed him to high hell when he didn't owl them or talk to them ever again. Fred had always lived his life without any regrets. Everything he had ever done he had always laughed about it, even if it gave him pain.

Percy had more regrets than the man who invented the killing curse. He really shouldn't have shouted at Ginny earlier, he thought with a pang.

As he dragged his suitcase into the very small hotel, which looked awful, Percy wondered if he wouldn't feel like he did every day if perhaps he had joined in with his younger brothers or been more sociable. The Fred and George route of life had always been frowned upon by Percy who cared about doing nothing more than doing what was right. And what was right was what the teachers, employers and parents wanted.

Percy who had grown up in a rather poor house hold, wanted nothing more than to have the safety and money in order to have a happy life. To have no mortgage payments. To have to make do so much that you would skip buying yourself things at Christmas just to make do.

But what was living the Fred route like?

--

After hanging around the room for longer than she wanted to, and after they all had bit of a nap, Ginny followed the group down towards the beach to explore. It was starting to go dark and Ginny still felt groggy, but better than what she had felt before her nap.

The beach itself was small, not much sand was on the ground, but it was covered with hundreds of pretty shells that littered the rocks. It was very beautiful. In the distance, people ran about the roads laughing, people drove about their cars and there was the distinct sound of music in the distance.

"See, this is the life!" Percy announced to them all brightly, taking out his camera and clicking it towards the ocean, "What a brilliant place!"

Ginny guiltily peered at Percy who seemed to have a great time. He hadn't spoken to her once since they had arrived at the hotel. She hadn't made any effort to talk to him either and now they were stuck in some sort of ridiculous status quo.

Ginny who was holding Harry's hand, glanced at him. He too was looking around him and looking content with the surroundings. Ginny smiled; glad her boyfriend was enjoying himself. She felt very groggy and irritable, what with the long plane journey and the travelling, but seeing Harry so happy cheered her up. Being on a beach in Australia cheered her up too.

Harry seen her staring at him and grinned at her.

Ginny smiled back, slightly teasingly. After Harry had snagged the one and only bed in the room, Percy had been kind enough to announce that as Gentlemen, it was their duty to give up their beds to the women.

That had wiped the smirk of old Harry's face.

Only Hermione and George looked bored with the walk, Hermione irritably looking around her and sighing impatiently. George was just being George. Ginny knew Hermione was annoyed that they'd had to stop here instead of going on to look for her parents. She was becoming terrible to be around, snapping at people and generally being annoying, she wasn't speaking to Ron. Ron looked frustrated with her and Ginny was secretly hoping Hermione would get a good nights sleep that night, knowing her bad mood would maybe die off. She thought Hermione should be a bit more cheerful after everything they'd been through, slightly nicer to them all after they'd come all this way with her.

"Isn't it wonderful!" Percy said again, stopping his walking and picking up a shell on the ground and beaming at it. He pulled out his camera from his bag and turned towards them all.

"You point that thing at me Perce I will knock you out with this oddly shaped rock!"

Lee who had been nearest to Percy, and closest to the camera ducked out of the way, holding a rock he had picked up on the ground.

"Oh, death by rock," said Ron teasingly to Lee, "How on earth would we recover?"

"Shut it you,"

"Isn't there anything to do?" George asked irritably, "You know, could we apparate into Melbourne, could we go somewhere to eat?"

"We've eaten!" said Percy bossily, "I want to explore!"

"What's that music?" Lee asked, looking towards the small group of shops that lay near them.

"That's a nightclub I think" said Harry to Lee, "Would probably serve drink,"

Ginny seen Lee's eyes widen.

"They would serve alcohol?" he asked Harry with interest

"Definatly," Harry replied. Lee's eyes seem to gleam as the lights from the shops were reflected in his eyes.

"Oh we are not drinking alcohol," Hermione snapped from her angry vantage point, folding her arms and glaring round at them all, "We should all go to bed again. We've got a lot of work to do tomorrow"

Ginny glanced at Harry and noticed the look that seemed to pass between him and Ron. Both boys were sharing a knowing irritable look and Ginny tended to agree with them. Hermione was being plain boring and annoying. From getting angry at them in the car, from snapping at them all, for not wanting to go anywhere and generally being annoying.

"Hermione," Ron said his girlfriend in annoyance, "We should go out and have a bit of fun. There's nothing we can do about your parents."

Hermione shot Ron a sharp look of anger and fixed him with a piercing look that was formidable. Ron stared right back at her with indifference and suddenly it was like they were all back at Hogwarts before the war with Ron and Hermione fighting over Crookshanks, Viktor Krum and whatever else was wrong that day. Percy, Harry, Ginny, George and Lee could only watch as both of them squared up to each-other.

"Ron I didn't come here to 'have fun'," Hermione snapped, "I came here to find my parents, not so Lee can get some action."

"Hey!" Lee cried defensibly.

"There's nothing we can do!" Ron cried to Hermione, "You're being a right pain in the ass…"

"Excuse me?!"

"Oh cut it out you two," Harry said to them irritably, "Hermione, we should all go in and have a drink and relax, you're tired. We'll be up first thing tomorrow and we'll go get your parents."

Hermione glared sleepily at Harry.

"Fine!" she snapped, "Fine, absolutely fine! I'll just not bother myself with my parents shall I?"

"Hermione-"Harry began angrily.

"Thanks for your support Ginny," Hermione snarled to her, completely out of the blue, catching Ginny off guard.

"What did I do?" Ginny demanded of Hermione who was glaring at her.

Hermione threw her a withering look and marched off towards the nightclub.

Not fair!, thought Ginny angrily, why am I attracting so much anger today?

"Great," quipped Lee cheerfully, "Now you lot aren't talking to Hermione, can we find some other way to make this trip bloody awkward?"

"For goodness sake Ron," said Percy to his youngest brother, sounding surprised, "You really don't know how to control your woman."

"Oh yeah cus you know how wouldn't you Perce?" Ron snarled at him, glancing at Hermione's back worriedly.

"Oh stop it," George snapped at the pair of them, "Let's go have a drink. Remind me to kick you all later."

"Why is she so angry at me?" Ginny demanded completely at a loss as to why Hermoine had just been so vicious to her. "Was I supposed to say something?"

"Never mind you, why's she so angry at me?" Ron cried.

Harry sighed tiredly and rolled his eyes to the heavens.

"Let's go," he told them alL.

--

"_If we're gonna save the day, and you're hearing what I say. I feel your touch and kiss, its not enough. And if you believe in me, don't think my loves' for free. I won't take nothing less than a deeper love. Everything time you know I, I need a miracle, I need a Miracle. It's a physical one I need, to help me through!" _

Hermione threw herself into the crowd at the club, bodies all gyrating together seamlessly to the music which roared loudly in her ears. Glaring at everyone, she moved towards the bar to order a glass a water. She was not drinking any alchol today, fearing that her bad mood with the alcoholic combination would make her only likely to cause another fight. She was tired, irritable, Ron was looking at girls and she had just snapped at Ginny for not apparent reason.

I'm such a great person to travel with aren't I ?, she thought.

"All right love?"

Oh no.

A drunk Scottish boy had staggered over to her, eyes glazed over, his shirt half open. He seemed to have just apparated out of the crowd who were drunkingly and swayingly moving together. Upon seeing her, he seemed to stare at her intensely before making his way over to her.

"Oh go away," muttered Hermione to herself, turning away from him and towards the bar.

"All right love!" he crooned to her, flinging an arm around her, his bum moving into her because he couldn't stand properly, "You look very lonely to be by yourself…"

"That's because she's not asshole,"

Ron's voice swam into being and made Hermione jump. He'd obviously followed her. She turned to see him, extremely angry, glaring at the Scottish guy furiously with his arms crossed across his chest. The Scottish guy withdrew his arm from around Hermione quickly and looked between the pair of them.

"She's your girlfriend?" he slurred to Ron.

"Yes she is," snapped Ron, "Now fuck off"

The Scottish guy must have heard his tone as he staggered backwards from Ron and slipped onto the dance floor. Ron glared after him.

When the man was fully out of sight, there was a moment when Ron and Hermione stared at one another. Ron turned and looked at her with stormy eyes and Hermione stared back into them defiantly. In her opinion, it was Ron who was the one who should be getting glared at. He was the one who like to oogle women in front of his girlfriend! He was the one who was ignoring her and treating her like rubbish.

He opened his mouth to talk…..

"Wow Ron," came a cheerful voice, "Smell the testosterone!"

Lee appeared with Harry, Ginny, a disgruntled George and awed Percy in toe. Percy was staring round the club with wide eyes.

"Nice work with the muggle there," Lee said to Ron, slapping him on the back, "You are such a superhero." He commented sarcastically, "Can I have your autograph?"

"Shove off Lee," Ron grumbled, clearing embarrassed.

"This place is brilliant!" Percy said brightly, "What is it? That music is very interesting."

"This is a nightclub," Harry said to Percy, "It's like a dancing club, muggles come here to get drunk and dance…supposedly."

Hermione seen George cast an apprehensive look around the club though his eye trailed over the bodies of a couple of very scantily clad women.

"Wow," said Ginny, following George's eye line, "Those boobs have to be fake."

"Uh-huh" said George clearly without realising it.

"Let's all have a round of drinks!" Percy announced enthusiastically, "To a great holiday and of course…." Percy quelled under Hermione's stony gaze, "To getting Hermione's parents!"

"Will you be buying the drinks Perce?" George asked him interestingly.

"Well…."

"Excellent. I'll have a beer!" George said to him firmly.

"But…"

"I'll have a beer too," said Harry, "That fosters stuff"

"Oh can I have a pint of Guinness?" asked Ron, momentarily looking not angry with Hermione to ask about some alcohol.

"Whisky for me, don't care what!" Lee quipped.

"None for me thanks" Hermione snapped, having no desire to get drunk and then throw her bottle at Ron.

"But..But…"

"Great!" cried Lee cheerfully, "Thanks Percy! Everybody say thank you to Percy!"

"_Thanks Percy!"_ they chorused.

And Percy was left standing gormlessly to order a full round of drinks.

Hermione stormed off leaving Ron to glare after her.

--

After the others had ordered their drinks, Ginny followed Percy up to the bar. Rather guiltily, she was going to ask that he buy her a glass of wine, but she really wanted to apologise for shouting at him earlier.

"One fosters, one guiness, two glasses of whisky and two red wines please."

Percy was talking to the bar man looking rather annoyed. As the bar man walked off to get him his drinks, Percy drummed his fingers on the bar in annoyance, looking irritably at the surrounding club.

He must be annoyed thought Ginny, he's not even trying to see how the bar men pull their pints out of those strange pipes.

She crept up behind him cautiously and then moved in beside him when a girl moved out beside him and left a space. Percy didn't look at her or acknowledge her, but when the bar man dropped over his drinks he handed her a glass of red wine looking at her right in the eyes.

Ginny stared at it confusion and then back up at Percy who was staring at her defiantly.

"Hi," she said to him shyly, giving him a shy smile.

Percy stared at Ginny for a moment, looking thoughtful. He leaned close to her so he could talk to her over the music.

"When you were 11, You-know-who got you and put you in the Chamber of Secrets," he said to her pompously.

Ginny blanched and pulled back, staring up into Percy's eyes with shock. Why on earth was he bringing that up now?

Ignoring her bewildered look, Percy continued, he leaned down towards her ear.

"That scared the hell out of me," he said, "More than I can say."

He paused and looked her right in the eyes.

"But the fact that you have a boyfriend, that you kiss him, the fact that you're grown up scares me even more!" he pronounced rather stiffly.

Ginny glared at him though felt slightly touched by his words.

"I am grown up," she told him angrily, "So you don't have to treat me like a child yes." She said.

Percy looked uncomfortable but defiant.

"I have a right to worry about you," he said to her firmly, "You're my baby sister and I can worry about you all I want"

"There's a difference between that and treating me like mum does!" she said to him angrily, "You act like I'm 11 again! Oh poor Ginny this, dainty Ginny that! You and Ron are as bad as each-other!"

Percy looked uncomfortable, turned and took a swig of one of the glasses beside him. Ginny noticed the guilt in his eyes and felt her angry abate. Percy just looked defeated, shoulders hunched and tired look in his eyes, one that hadn't seemed to fade since the battle.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you," she said to him, leaning up towards him and talking into his ear, "I'm sorry for bringing it all up."

Percy smiled a shy smile in appreciation of this, even more so when Ginny kissed him on the cheek.

"That's ok," he said in her ear.

Ginny grinned at him and took a pleased drink from her glass.

Percy watched her for a moment curiously, then bent down to talk to her again

"I refuse to believe that you know anything about Sex and why those stains are in the back seat however," he told her firmly.

Ginny looked at Percy and felt a wicked grin slide up her face.

"What if I told you I knew all about sex and even how those stains got there?"

Percy looked shocked and spluttered so that some of his beer dribbled down his chin.

"_Ginny_!"

"You are such a prune Percy I'm nearly 17"

"But, still-"

Ginny took out her wand out and pointed them at the glasses on the table so that they floated off the table.

"Let's go find the others," she said cheerfully, "I wonder if Hermione's killed Ron yet."

Percy shook his head in disbelief.

And Ginny walked right across the muggle dance floor making her wand float the glasses in the air.

--

Ron didn't have a clue what he was supposed to have done. Why was Hermione being so nasty to him? Why wasn't she talking to him? Why did he find her standing at the bar with another bloke?

Why were they both getting on like children?

Right now, his girlfriend was sitting on one of the chairs which sat around the table they'd managed to snag and was glaring off in the opposite direction. Lee sat looking around the club with interest and Harry was bobbing his head to the music looking supremely happy and content while George was staring thoughtfully at the table.

Ron glanced at Hermione again to see if she would look at him: she wasn't. He supposed he ought to have been used to this by now, he had known Hermione since 1st year and she had always been moody, prone to not talking to anybody for days and generally being an insufferable women. It still annoyed him and he wondered to himself why they still weren't over doing things like this when they fought. They were going out now, shouldn't they be acting like adults, talking to each –other about how they felt and if something annoyed them?

At that moment, Hermione shot him a death glare.

Obviously not.

Ron sighed and glanced around him at the club were the people around him were dancing to the music, a strange sort of music that made Ron tap his foot in time to the music. He tried, and failed, not to notice how scantily clad the girls were dressed. He'd never seen a witch dressed like that. Ron wondered why that was.

"_Ginny what are you doing!" _

It took a second to realise what on earth Hermione was yelling about. It wasn't until Ron turned to see Ginny and Percy that he realised with a mingle of horror and laughter that Ginny was openly floating their drinks with her wand. The drinks hovered above Ginny's head, lightly revolving in mid-air. Ginny oblivious and Percy looked confused, didn't seem to notice or care.

"What?" Ginny asked Hermione looking slightly annoyed. Hermione was pointing at her, her face white, eyes open in horror.

"Oh my God Dude are those glasses _floating?_"

Uh oh.

Two young muggle Austrailians dressed in Hawaiian t-shirts had stopped in their tracks and were staring up at the glasses with glazed eyes, stumbling slightly as they tried to remain upright, Others around them had stopped to look at them too, a group of young girls pointing up at them and laughing. Meanwhile, the group of wizards and witches remained frozen to the spot, unsure of what to do.

"Shit," said Ron, eyes wide.

"Wow! I have had wayyyy too much weeed!" one of the boys said suddenly, backing away and laughing loudly, staring up at the drinks with confusion. His friend, who looked just a drunk, nodded with him.

"Too right you have. I'm going to kill fucking Steve for putting fucking E's in my drink!"

The minute they left, others started to talk to, pointing up at the glasses and laughing, others gasping and looking confused, they were starting to attract a lot of attention.

"Oh my god, look! Isn't this club great? Those glasses look like they're floating!"

"Oh mon dieu, ces verres flottent!"

"Holy crap I've really drank too much. Are those glasses floating?"

"No sweetie I think you're drunk. Glasses don't float, you hear me _they don't' float!" _

"_I am sooo drunk!" _

"What do we do?" Hermione hissed to them all hysterically.

"It would help if Ginny would put her wand away," George commented dryly.

With a squeak of horror, Ginny realised that she still had her wand in her hand, pointing up at the glasses which were still floating. With a yelp, she put hid her wand beside her hip, turning bright red.

"_Grab the glasses!" _

Lee shouted the order and at once the group stood up and grabbed their drinks in their hands, immediately acting casual afterwards. Hermione waved cheerily at the surrounding ravers, Ron grinned like there was nothing wrong, Harry ducked his head and Ginny grinned at a girl nearby who was giving them all a suspicious look. Lee winked at a girl, attempting to flirt his way out of the mess, Percy pretended to laugh at something funny, and George just scowled round at the surrounding muggles before scowling round at his family and friends.

"Smile and wave boys," said Lee brightly between gritted teeth, "Smile and wave!"

"Well done Ginny," snarled Ron through a fake smile, "You almost got us done in with the Australian ministry!"

"It's not my fault!" said Ginny to Ron angrily while smiling rather simperingly at the staring people around them, "You stole that mans' keys at the car station!"

"Oh my God you two need to shut up or I'm going to bang your heads together!" snapped George.

"_Act casual_!" Lee hissed at George who immediately gave Lee the finger.

"Oh My God _Hey!"_

They all looked round, a group of girls was coming towards them. It was only when they got up close that Ron realised that it was the American girl they had met earlier.

"_Hey!" _

The blonde one, Kaitlin was her name, Ron thought, was running towards them, dressed up in a short black dress that clung all to closely to her body. Her friends, Ron couldn't remember their names, were following her and waving enerjetically. Ron seen Lee's eyes brighten, Harry looked terrified, George was studying the bottom of his whisky glass and Percy was looking between Lee and Kaitlin for some reason. Ginny looked grumpy.

"Oh piss off," Ron heard- wait, was that Hermione who said that?

"Hey you lot! Oh wow what are you doing here?"

They had reached them now, all carrying glasses of some sort of pink drink and all wearing very short dresses.

"Hi!" Lee said cheerfully, "What are you doing here?"

Ron rolled his eyes.

"Well, oh my gosh, we came here because apparently its like one of the best places in town and then we like heard there were glasses floating on their own over here, some sort of spooky shit or something?" said one of the girls, Rebecca remembered Ron- said to them, making quite a scene of flicking her hair over her shoulders.

The group all looked at each-other.

"Wow, weird idea." Said George in mock shock, staring at the girls in annoyance.

"I know isn't that weird?" Kaitlin said shaking her head in disbelief.

"Oh wow, you carry one of those weird stick things too?"

They all looked round, one of the other girls, had bent down to fix her shoe and caught Ginny with her wand pressed into her thigh. Ginny went bright red but made a good attempt at acting casual.

"Oh well, you know," she said to the girl, "In England we hear a lot of bad things about digos-"

"Dingos" corrected Hermione.

"Dingos" said Ginny firmly.

"England must be a really nice place to live," said the girl kindly to Ginny.

"Can we buy you girls' a drink?"

Ron turned around in shock as the line came not from Lee but Percy. He was grinning smugly at Lee while smiling at the girls simperingly. Lee gaped at him.

"I would love a drink!" chooed Kaitlin happily to Percy, "How kind of you."

"Great!" said Percy with a swagger that Ron didn't know he had, "How about I buy you all a drink?"

The girls all made noises of happy contentment and began to head towards the bar.

Percy waved them away and before he followed them, turned to Lee

"Let's see who can't pull American women then!" he snapped pompously with a nasty grin.

Lee took a shocked step back, mouth open.

"You wouldn't." he gasped.

"Whenever I want something, I get it." Said Percy snidely, winking at Lee and marching off towards the bar.

There was silence. Ron gaped after Percy and the retreating women. Since when did Percy manage to pull women?

"No way!" yelped Lee.

"What, is he like the man-who-buys-all-the-drinks monster?" demanded Harry.

"Oh my God," said Hermione faintly, "Percy just became Peter Sellers."

"He is not getting that blonde girl!" Lee yelped loudly, "This trip is my chance to get women!"

"I thought Percy was gay," said Ginny guiltily.

"So did I!" said Ron who had always been confused by his older brothers liking of knitting patterns.

"I wouldn't worry Lee," said George dryly, who was taking more drinks of his whisky, "Every time Percy flirts it's like watching the Chudley Cannons crash and burn every season. Painful to watch but funny to laugh at. A brick could flirt better than Percy."

"Yeah, and it was Dumbledore who was gay," Harry said.

"Dumbledore was gay?" yelped Lee, looking utterly confused, "No way! Really?"

Everyone stared at Lee in exasperation. Ron who had known Dumbledore was gay all his life, rolled his eyes.

"Lee, everyone knew he was gay!" Ginny said to him, laughing slightly.

Lee gaped at them.

"Well I didn't!" he said loudly with the appearance of someone who had found out everyone knew a secret and they didn't.

Ron rolled his eyes and shared a rolling of the eyes with Harry.

"I'm in shock!" Lee said, looking genuinely shocked.

"Oh get over it Lee," said George irritably, "Dumbledore was as straight as a roundabout."

"Yeah, Dumbledore batted for the other team." Said Harry

"He was as queer as Percy's pink shirt," said Ron.

"Dumbledore was first and foremost, a homosexual." Said Hermione.

"I can never see your relationship with him in the same way Harry," Lee said stiffly, looking rather upset.

"Oh sod off Lee," said Harry lazily.

--

After Percy had arrived back with drinks in tow, the girls in tow, Hermione thought with a surge of anger, he had proceeded to charm at least the blonde one while the others had managed to captivate Ron, Harry and Lee who were now talking eagerly away to them. She, Hermione, had left to go and find herself another drink.

Ron wasn't talking to her. She figured it was down to her own attitude towards him and she couldn't understand it. He was the one who was oogling other women.

"Hey,"

Hermione turned to find Ginny, uncertainly staring at her and grinning sheepishly. Hermione remembered her earlier comments and instantly felt Guilty.

"Hi," she said to Ginny, throwing her an uncertain smile. Fortunately for her, Ginny beamed back at her. She grinned madly at Hermione, leaned against the bar and looked at her with one of her sparkling mischevious smiles.

"You're annoyed," Ginny said before Hermione could open her mouth, "We've had little sleep and you're snapping at everyone. I understand."

She couldn't really tell Ginny how grateful she was to have her on this trip, Hermione thought, smiling at Ginny gratefully. Boys didn't understand girls and their moods. They didn't seem to know anything really. Hermione was so glad Ginny was here as she knew Ginny, at least, would understand why she was so angry.

"Ron oogling lots of women?" Ginny asked her knowingly, "So's Harry"

Hermione nodded energetically, groaning in exasperation and taking a massive swig of her drink which the waiter had just placed beside her. Ginny watched her, slightly worryingly. Hermione felt her mouth begin to speak before she could think straight, everything she'd been trying not to yell at Ron coming out in her conversation with Ginny.

"Did you see him Ginny? He can't take his eyes off her! I mean does he think I'm ugly? Does he regret going out with me? I mean, I suppose he _can_ look at other girls but does he have to do it so badly in front of me? I mean, he needs to learn some _tact_!"

She downed the rest of her drink and looked at Ginny who was staring at her with a slightly open mouth.

"Better?" she asked Hermione, nodding at the drink.

"Very much so." Hermione said gratefully, putting her head on her chin and feeling that she wanted to crawl into her bed and sleep. She was worried about her parents, she was worried about Ron.

"You can't stop Ron from looking at other women," Ginny told her wisely, "In fact it should be perfectly fine for him to look at other women. He's young, the two of you aren't married and even then…"

"But why does it still annoy me?" Hermione asked Ginny, wondering why whenever Ron looked at the slightest bit of ass that she felt like sending birds after him.

Ginny looked at her and smirked.

"You used to think that he would never like you remember?" she said, "You used to get annoyed with him because he went with other women and you thought he would never like you. Trouble is, now you're dating him and you still seem to think that he's going to go off and grab some women."

Hermione looked at Ginny, wondering how on earth it had come to that she was giving her relationship advice. It had always been Hermione who gave Ginny advise on her relationships. Not the other way round.

Either way, the girl was making some sense. Every time Ron looked at someone she always told herself that Ron never liked her, would leave her, would go off with someone else. But they were together now and Hermione guessed she hadn't got used to it yet.

"You're probably right," she told Ginny sheepishly.

Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Probably right?" teased Ginny, "I am right."

Hermione smirked at her and glanced at her drink which was now empty.

"I'm going to regret that." She told Ginny who nodded.

"GET OFF HER NOW OR I'LL-I'LL-KICK YOUR ARSE!"

Hermione and Ginny stared at each-other.

The voice was coming from the dance floor and was distinctly English

"Percy," Ginny just said.

--

George was unsure whether to laugh or well, laugh.

Percy had his fists up in front of him like some sort of comical British commando, Lee stood beside him and looking slightly unsure as to whether to this was all a very good idea. Harry was standing up and staring at the whole thing threw wide eyes and Ron was trying watching the big bloke to the side who was eying him dangerously. The American girls were all watching the scene warily, Kaitlin, standing just behind Percy and clutching his arm while he squared up to the human equivalent of a brick wall.

"What did you say to me?"

The bloke was tall, rather well built compared to Percy's gangly frame (why hadn't Percy figured out what he was getting into?). He wore a very tight shirt that exsposed his rather large muscles and his friends, there was four of them, all looked the same.

George reckoned at some point, in the name of male solidarity and all that, Percy would expect them all to jump in on the fight.

It had happened quite quickly, the American girls had stared dancing, Percy had joined in (the horror), and from what George had gauged from it all, someone had tried to grab the girl Percy and Lee both fancied. The girl had pushed him away: he hadn't moved. She'd swatted him, he'd grabbed her ass, she'd pushed him away (usual club stuff).It had caused Percy, like some sort of British Calvary, and in his spluttering English accent, to confront the man who had done so and was now looking like he was going to get a kicking.

"What'd you say to me you bloody limey?" the man snarled at Percy again in a broad Australian accent.

George seen what looked Percy swallowing his entire tongue before he spoke. Kaitlin looked between him and the man who had tried to grab her with worry.

"I said; get your hands off her or-or-or…." Percy began to stammer in that calm British way, "I'll cause you…..insufferable pain."

He said the last sentence in a manner that suggested that he thought it up while looking at his opponents large arms. The man and his friends laughed at him.

George rolled his eyes in exasperation at Percy's lack of finesse, tact, strength, and all around general machoness.

"You'll cause me insufferable pain?" the man asked him mockingly in what George assumed was a poor attempt at an English accent, sharing looks with his friends,

"You'll do what Poin-dexter?" he asked Percy.

"Poin-dexter?" Percy asked him, "What on earth does that mean?"

"What the hell is going on?"

They all looked around, Hermione and Ginny had arrived, looking between Percy, his new 'friend' and his bunch of groupies.

"Percy what are you doing?" Ginny asked him, looking bemused.

All the boys looked at Ginny, big guy staring at her in annoyance. George seen Kaitlin touch Percy's arm in an attempt to pull him back, taking advantage of Ginny's distraction.

"Look," said George, taking a step forward and thinking he better step in seeing as Lee, Ron and Harry were as useful as a wet paper bag, "Mate," he said to the rather large guy, "My Brother here's had a bit to drink, he apologises for yelling and I'm sure you don't want to fight, so let's just leave it at that." He told him, standing beside Percy and looking calmly into Large Guy's face.

"George," said Percy rather stiffly, "I can handle this on my own." He hissed, throwing George a sharp look.

"Percy, you couldn't handle a fight if the guy lay down and told you to hit him." George told him

"Maybe we should-" Kaitlin said.

"Look back off!" large guy yelled at George over the music, "If I wanted bloody humanitarian intervention I'd have called the UN."

George and Percy both stared at him blankly.

"Ok, that joke sucked" Hermione commented from the corner.

"Let's go." George hissed in Percy's ear, "Let's just leave. He'll back off."

"You don't want to fight is that it?" large guy asked them both cockily, "I thought you guys were British, not French."

"Yes because as an Australian you were right there with us in Germany…."

George groaned and felt like slapping Percy.

"Oi!" large guy yelled, eyes bulging at the insult.

"_Percy shut up!" _Hermione hissed over at him.

"Let's go shall we?" Harry asked his friends meaningfully, "We'll leave." He added, glancing rather worryingly over at the large group of men stood around them.

"Yes," said George meaningfully, tugging on Percy's jacket," Let's go."

"Holy Crap what is up with your ear?"

As George had turned, the boys were able to see the other side of his head, the one without an ear. They were now staring at it openly, gaping some withdrawing back looking disgusted. Big guy stared at it with wide eyes, a mixture and revulsion on his face.

"Ewww." One guy said. George felt his blood pressure rise, feeling both insecure and uncomfortable at the same time. Why couldn't he have lost a finger or something? Or at least have gotten a large scar that would make him look manly……

"Hey, leave him alone!" Percy yelled at the men, turning back to face them.

Oh do shut up, thought George, not liking Percy getting back into fighting mode.

"Dude, what happened?" someone asked George who now felt like an animal at a care of magical creatures lecture. Sighing, wishing that Fred was there to make fun of it all, George turned to face his stares with a witheringly smile.

"Well one day," he told them all dryly, "I got up. Looked in the mirror and thought, I hate my ear. So I chopped it off."

They blinked at him.

"Are you kidding?" one of them asked him in shock.

George rolled his eyes exasperatly.

"Er…yeah." he told the guy calmly,

"It looks really fucked up." On of them said.

BAM!

"OW!"

Perhaps Percy had been wanting a fight from the beginning to prove his manliness, perhaps he really did care about George and was defending his honour, perhaps he was just really stupid.

George was prepared to go with the latter.

Percy launched himself at big guy with a punch to the face, smacking him in the nose so that the guy's head snapped back, and making Percy yelp.

There were two things interesting about this, thought George in the split second were Percy realised what he'd done and his opponent did too. One, thought George that was Percy who had screamed Ow, not his opponent. Number two….

Holy Crap Percy was going to get a kicking.

BAM!

Big Guy Hit Percy back and there was a scream of horror from Ginny as Percy yelled in pain….and hit big guy back.

"Stop it!" cried Kaitlin.

The pair where lost in a fury of fists, big guys friends egging him on, the American girls were yelling at them both to stop and George, Lee, Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny stood in shock as Percy began to, well, attempting to kick the crap out of a big massive austrailian bloke he'd met in the club. The guy currently had him in a headlock and was giving him a noughie. Other people had stopped dancing to look at them.

"George! Ron!" Ginny shrieked at them.

Oh for tits sake………

George, Ron, Harry and Lee stepped forward, attempting to pull Percy away. Ron took one arm, George took the other.

"Oi!

Two of big guys mates stepped forwards, larger men that he even was, and glared at Ron and George as they pulled Percy away from the fight, spluttering and gasping for breath….all the while looking exhilarated and rather pleased with himself.

"Let me go back!" Percy yelled at Ron and George, "I must defend your honour George!"

"Look, save the noble stuff King Arthur." Ron shot at him in a disgruntled fashion.

"Yeah don't defend my honour" George told him.

Big guy was standing back and watching them, breathing heavily through his nose, looking very annoyed the fight had stopped. His friends looked pretty annoyed too.

"Hey, stay out of it!" one of Big Guy's mates said, "It's none of your business!"

"We're going" Harry told him firmly, shooting a glare at Percy and the rather large Australians.

"I knew you Brits were pussies" big guy spat to the laughs of his many friends.

Percy spluttered in indignation and looked outraged. George, who felt slightly annoyed by the jibe, but not enough to want to start a fight, rolled his eyes.

"We're going" he told Percy and the group of men firmly, "We don't need to start fights to prove that being British means being hard" he told them and began to pull Percy towards the door of the club.

Big Guy snorted.

"You lot are despicable." George heard Katilin spit at the group of men angrily, "How dare you insult them and pick on that guy for having only one ear!"

"Oh shut up Yankee!" austrailan guy snapped at her, "I think we've all had enough lectures from Americans these days"

Kaitlin looked outraged.

"We're going!" George seen another girl snap, tugging on Kaitlins arm and pulling her around and out of the club along with Percy, glaring at the gang of austrailians.

"Assholes." She spat at them. Kaitin glared after them too.

George shook his head and then with much difficulty dragged Percy out of the club, the others following, Lee rather reluctantly.

"You are an idiot Percy!" Hermione shrieked at him, throwing her hands up when they reached the hot sticky air of outside, the bass of the music faintly booming in the background, "We could have been arrested!"

"Yes you are an idiot Percy," snapped Ginny, shaking her head at one of her eldest brothers.

"Yeah, Well done numnuts you got us thrown out!" Ron yelled at him, dropping Percy's arm and turning around to glare at him.

"Yes, Well done to Percy," said Harry sarcastically, "You're quite the fighter." He snarled.

George glared at Percy.

"What the hell did you think you were doing!" he spat at him angrily, "You could have been killed, he was going to kick your as he was…." George trailed off, an image in his mind of Percy yelling at him and Fred for making Ron's ears turn huge when he was 10, Percy yelling at Fred and him for making Ginny cry in her 1st year…..

George let out a gasp.

"_You made me turn into you_!" he yelled at Percy angrily.

"Well I think he did an awesome job."

The voice came from Kaitlin who was standing right in front of Percy with wide eyes, her friends behind her. She was beaming widely at Percy, her eyes sparkling and shining at him like a scene in some sort of Lindsay Lohan movie. Her friends looked disgruntled.

"Excuse me?" Lee demanded in outrage to Kaitlin.

Percy beamed at Kaitin, puffing out his chest and smiling winningly at Kaitlin.

"Well I couldn't let him…"

Percy was caught off as Kaitlin pushed Ron out of the way, grabbed Percy's face and kissed him square on the mouth. Percy was caught so off guard he jumped a bit before wrapping his arms around Kaitlin and kissing her back.

The group merely gaped at them.

"Oi!" yelled Ginny, "I'm under 17 here!"

Kaitlin pulled away with a smile leaving Percy standing with his eyes closed and mouth half open.

"Thanks" Kaitlin told Percy, winking at him as he opened his eyes to stare breathlessly at her.

Lee let out a chocked outraged yell and looked even more scandalised when Kaitlin turned and walked away without a glance to Lee, slightly shaking her bum at Percy, before being dragged off by her friends down the beach, smiling at Percy as she went.

There was a shocked silence.

George felt a joke rising in him, a girl had just kissed Percy! A GIRL HAD JUST KISSED PERCY! Within him he felt the joke coming, something to do with Shorts, and erection and Percy being Head Boy...

…but it died.

"Ok raise your hand if ew" said Ginny faintly, raising her arm up. Ron, Harry, Hermione and George followed. George wondering why on earth he had let the greatest joking opportunity in him go down the beach with her American friends. He could practically see Fred shaking his head at him...

"Wow," said Percy in a slightly high pitched voice, "Who knew getting in fights could be so…"

"Stupid." Harry added for him.

"Useful!" quipped Percy instead delightedly.

"You're stealing all my squirrel!" Lee yelled in outrage to Percy, "She liked me!"

"Well not from that Kiss she didn't!" quipped Percy, giggling quite happily.

Lee looked outraged.

Percy beamed around at them all. George was faintly reminded of a Percy when he got the Head Boy badge, the look on his face as he looked around the kitchen to challenge Fred and George to tease him, showing off his badge like a trophy. It was exactly the same expression he wore now.

Well, though George, if Percy wants to equate kissing a girl with getting a Head Boy badge then that's just sad.

"I got a kiss!" Percy told them all.

"Yeah we're trying to erase that from our memories." Ginny told him.

"Yeah, what is it like the only kiss you've gotten from Someone in the past year yeah?" Lee spat at him.

"I got a kiss." Percy repeated again, ignoring Lee and rocking back and forth on his feet rather happily, looking up at the sky in a sort of awe like manner.

George rolled his eyes.

"Can we go?" he asked them all grumpily. All the happiness was making him irritable. He needed to find something small and kick it.

"I got a kiss!"

"Oh shut your face."

George seen Hermione roll her eyes at Percy before turning to them all.

"Yes, George is right," she told them all tiredly, George seen her rub her eyes, "Let's go before Percy decides to get in another fight."

Percy just looked at Hermione.

"I got kissed!" he told her.

Hermione rolled her eyes in frustration and walked off back towards their Hotel. Ginny followed her into Step, linking her arm through Hermione's. George seen Hermione's face was stormy and tired, Ginny's too.

"You know," George heard Ron comment as they walked back to their hotel, eyes on Hermione's back, obviously they still weren't talking, "Women are more trouble than they're worth."

"You can say that again," piped in Lee, "Percy gets one kiss of one and he's bouncing about like he's just been anounded Minister for Magic. Talk about someone seriously deprived of women!"

They all turned to look at Percy who was walking a little behind them in a sort of daze, looking around at everything happily.

"Wow," said Harry quietly, "It's like he took all the Dragon Claw in the world and snorted it."

"I'm glad I didn't look like that when I kissed Hermione!" Ron told them all, shaking his head.

"Well, you did look like a gormless idiot. But you know…"

"Thanks Harry."

"Stupid Percy," said Lee angrily, "I was trying to get into that girl and he knew it."

George shook his head and looked towards the Sea, wondering and praying that the trip would be over soon. So far, he'd got into a bar brawl and Percy had got kissed by a girl. So far, George had failed to make one funny remark.

He seen Ron look at him out of the corner of his eye, curiously eyeing him up like his Mother had done every day since…

"What is it Gormless one?" George demanded.

Ron looked annoyed but didn't press.

"Nothing." He told George shrewdly.

Nonsense, thought George, he was checking up on me. I've been quiet all Day, Month, week….

Oh, thought George, uncaring, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. All I have to look forward to is sleeping in that damm Van.

--

The Austrailian guy Percy had hit lay up against the wall, his nose bloody, his pockets ramsacked for items of importance. His face was bruised and beaten. A man stood over him with his wand pointing at his chest, breathing heavily for Muggles could run quite fast when they wanted to.

"I said," repeated the man with the wand, "Does that teach you a lesson?"

The Muggle groaned feebly.

The man with the wand looked at him with distaste.

"This plan isn't going to work" he told the Muggle, "with idiots like you on the loose…..That wasn't what was supposed to happen. Not at all."

The man looked up towards the fading outline of the group as they turned a corner, the last boy turning to follow them.

Not at all, he thought.

--

R+ R Plz.


	8. Chapter 8 Incidents

Hey Guys, sorry for the lateness. Life in general has been the bane in my fanfic life. Here's the next chapter. You might think its a bit odd. But its' carrying the story along.

**Incidents **

**The man met another man in a pub and they sat down to have a drink. One man regarded the other with suspicion, the other with awe. **

"**I can't believe you're alive."**

"**Neither can I."**

"**Some say…said rather…"**

"**It doesn't matter."**

**There was a pause. **

**One of the men lit a cigarette and looked over at the other, seizing him up and down. **

"**You're here to offer me help?" he asked. **

"**The Ministry has no idea that you are here. That's thanks to me. You know that."**

"**And? You did what you could. I don't understand why you asked for a meeting?"**

"**I want a cut at the end of this."**

**Another pause.**

"**You don't…."**

"**Yes I do. While you're here this government doesn't know you're here. And I want my share."**

**The other man looked at the other and considered the matter. He would agree. But the man would not get what he wanted in the end. He nodded at the other man who instantly became relaxed and soft, grinning at his supposed partner. **

"**So, you spotted them today?" he asked them. **

"**We'll get answers soon."**

"**You're sure."**

"**Believe me. Harry Potter will be squealing very soon."**

** Chapter 8: ****The first attempt**

The music blared rather loudly and Hermione pushed her feet to the accelerator further, the wind blew in her hair rather wildly and she thanked whoever the hell was up there that there was a nice sea breeze. Her forehead was sweating heavily and she felt disgusting. Beside her, George was dozing in his seat, his head against the window, occasionally banging off the side of it as the car moved. His hair was all stuck up in different directions from running his hands threw it from the heat. Hermione frowned at him.

She was _still _annoyed at him.

There was no excuse, she thought, no excuse for that behaviour this morning.

George had been in a most angry mood. Upon waking up he had preceded to yell at Hermione in particular for no good reason, yelling at her for keeping them back from getting into the car because she had wanted to make sure they had all had their passports. He has swore at her and yelled at her for a couple of minutes before Ron stepped in to tell him to stop.

Even by George's standards it had been over the top. He had been acting odd since the Ministry had handed him three letters for Harry, Ron and Hermione in the bathroom.

"_There's Dancing, behind Movie scenes behind those movie scenes"_

Hermione glanced behind her to see the others in a similar state to George. Ginny lay with her head on Harry's shoulder, dozing to herself. Her face was red from the heat, her hair tied back to keep herself cool. The loose shirt she had been wearing this morning had been taken off so that she was wearing only her vest top.

"_Well it's a brim full of asher on the, 45.Well It's a brim full of asher on the 45. Brim full of asher on the 45"_

Harry sat beside Ginny and even though he too had his eyes half closed in exhaustion, the window open beside him to let the air through. His shirt was half open and his face was red too. Hermione knew he was awake, the letter in his pocket keeping him like that. You couldn't live with Harry Potter for a year in a tent and not know when he was pretending to sleep…Harry must have been thick to think that Hermione didn't notice that he pretended to be asleep to read Voldemort's mind.

"_Everyone needs a bosom proof pillow, everyone needs a bosom!"_

She knew the letter in her own pocket was keeping her awake. Making her mind twirl a bit and making exciting possibilities come up in her mind and then crash when she thought of what exactly Kingsley had been proposing in her own letter…

"_She's the women that keeps the dream alive…" _

Ron lay across from Harry, his eyes open and staring up at the ceiling of the car. His blue eyes were looking thoughtful, annoyed, worried. Catching Hermione staring at him, he grinned at her slightly through the wind mirror.

"_45!" _

Hermione grinned softly at him, feeling her stomach get a bit fluttery. She was glad they'd sorted out that stupid argument this morning. She could now go back to staring at Ron without wanting to kick him.

"_Brim full of Asher on the 45! Well it's a Brim full of Asher on the 45!" _

Ron went back to staring out the window again, Hermione seen him bite his lip and sigh, looking pensive. Yes Ron had got a letter too. What on earth _he_ was going to do? Wasn't it all a bit quick , thought Hermione. Didn't wizards and Witches take a traditional tour of the world before they retired to their home lives?

Yes, said a nasty voice in her head, but most wizards didn't fight in a war.

Well, Hermione thought to herself, bully for the other wizards and witches.

She looked at Percy, asleep in the seat across from Harry and Ginny and beside Ron, asleep on the chair, snoring lightly to himself and trying to avoid Lee who sat beside him and was nearly falling asleep on his shoulder.

Hermione sighed to herself and then rolled her eyes as the radio presenter came on the Radio in his enthusiastic Australian accent. She hated having only one radio station so that _this guy, _was the only person to listen to.

George shifted in his seat and opened his eyes with a groan of annoyance.

"Is that twat back on the radio?" he mumbled apprehensively.

"_HELLLOOOO RADIO ROCKERS!" _

"Sorry I god damm asked" groaned George, banging his head off the door.

Hermione watched George look irritable and sink back into his chair, catching her eyes before he sighed in irritation and scowled at her.

"I'm not going to tell you what the hell went on this morning." He told her angrily, glaring at her right in the eyes, obviously not realising that she would notice that his eyes were bloodshot. He shifted in his seat angrily, "Nothing went on this morning" he added in a low voice before turning on his side and going back to sleep.

Hermione flicked her eyes back to the road, knowing the only way she was ever going to get George to talk to her was to ignore him. Weasleys liked to be the centre of attention and the moment anyone ignored them they were always bursting to tell you what was wrong with them so they could be in the spotlight again.

Something had happened with George this morning with those letters, and he wasn't telling anyone what.

"_Rock the Casbah! Rock the Casbah!" _

"_The Clash baby! Check it out! This is Davidddd Wattawassy for ROCKIN FM!" _

"Oh I wish I could strangle that guy!" yelled Harry from the back seat, angrily banging his head off the seat while Ginny groaned awake and then groaned again as the Clash's "Rock the Casbah!" began to play on the radio.

"Woohoo this music is awesome!" Lee laughed, sitting up and grinning. Banging Percy on the head with his shoulder as he sat up.

We'll never get Lee to calm down, thought Hermione.

Hermione sighed and pushed the car onwards, shaking her head.

"We'll be in Melbourne in 5 minutes!" she shouted over the music.

There was far too much to be thinking about to be sitting in the Sun she thought.

**--**

_Dear Miss Granger, _

_I am writing to you because with war on Voldemort at an end, we are drastically trying to requite many to help with the rehabilitation and restructuring of the massive amount of grief and horror at the events of the past year. Without question, your skills as a Witch and part of the downfall of Voldemort means that we, I, would gratefully ask of your help. Many positions at the Ministry are now open and I would be grateful if you would help fill one of these said positions. They are open to you as part of my gratitude for what you have done. _

_p.s Hermione, the Aurour office would be grateful if you would accept their offer. Your skills would be valuable to eradicate the use of dark magic and dark wizards. I have no better faith in anybody else. _

_Kingsley Shacklebolt._

_Acting Minister for Magic. _

_**Dear Hermione, **_

_**In reply to your question which you asked me the last time we met, forgive me for the late reply. You know I've had a lot to deal with. Hogwarts will be open next year, and yes you are more than welcome to come back. You know you shouldn't have to ask. **_

_**Minerva. **_

**--**

**Present. **

Hermione smiled around herself and felt a sense of privilege and pride. Her hair stuck to her face, she was going to need to find a shower in the nearest Youth Hostel and was dying for some food, but…….They'd made it! Ron slung an arm around her shoulders and Harry who was on her other side was nodding his head approvingly. Ginny who stood beside Harry beamed around at everything. The sun gleamed off the tall buildings which crawled to the sky, pointy bits of architecture looking as if they just poked the atmosphere. Cars whirled around them, people were talking nearby and in the distance Hermione could hear ambulances and cars…civilisation!

How could it be, thought Hermione, that only a couple of weeks ago I was lying in Shell Cottage after having a chandelier fall down on top of me?

The statement made her for the hundredth time think how lucky she was and secondly that although the incident in Malfoy Manor often brought tears to her eyes…it did rather sound like a Monty Python sketch when she imagined telling people that a chandelier fell on top of her. But here she was, standing in a sunny Australia with her _alive _best friends, about to get her parents back.

"Wow," she breathed.

"Yeah, nice," Harry said to Hermione, "I could see why your parents would want to move here."

_Flash! Click! Flash_!

"_Wonderful!"_

The voice caused the quartet to share a sigh and a wry smile. Percy was erratically taking pictures with his camera, pointing them up at the sky scrapers and exclaiming every so often about how wonderful the city was.

"Yes," said Harry sardonically, sharing a rolling of the eyes with Ron, "You might find Percy might want to move here as well."

"Well," considered Ginny, casting an eye over at her older brother, "He may as well be having Sex with that bloody camera."

"_Wow!"_

_Click! Flash!_

"Ewh," Ron wrinkled his nose and looked at his baby sister in disgust, "Tell me you didn't just pull off that last comment from actual experience"

"What?" Ginny blanched, "Because I know how to have sex with-"

"Can we not discuss Sex and Percy in the same context?" Harry butted in.

"Gladly"

There was companionable silence again as the four stared around at the city again, breathing in the sights and sounds. Hermione gripping Ron's hand tightly.

Yes, she thought, how remarkable this is how we ended up.

"I feel kinda sad"

They all turned to Ginny who was staring around the city with a slightly disappointed look on her face. Upon them looking at her she looked slightly guilty.

"Why?" Harry asked her in bewilderment.

"You know," said Ginny with a uncomfortable shrug of her shoulders, "Not that I don't want to find your parents Hermione, but if we find them here, then that'll be the trip over."

Hermione guessed that was slightly sad. It mirrored on Ron and Harry's face too as they glanced again around at the tall buildings, cars and boats with slight longing at Ginny's words. What she said was true, if they found her parents, they might have one day here before heading back to England. Rain, Rain and more Rain.

And having to think about what to do with my life.

Hermione couldn't wait to get her parents back, the desire to find them so strong it was an almost a continual ache in her stomach, one that sat uncomfortably with the ache of losing Tonks, Lupin and Fred too. But despite all the worry, all the stress of the trip so far, it was nice that all they had to worry about was petrol in a car and wondering if it was too much to ask to see Percy's camera get dabbed by a seagull. It was quite nice not to have to worry for your life.

Hermione glanced at Harry, who had been considerably mellow since they had arrived. Relaxed almost. He above all of them, deserved a long holiday. The idea of lying on beach somewhere with a good book was exactly what Hermione wanted to do. And exactly what Harry needed. He looked slightly disappointed at the prospect of their trip being cut so short.

"We should go away together when we get back," Hermione said to them brightly, "Somewhere on the continent." She said bracingly, "Goodness knows we deserve a break" she added quietly, staring at Ron and Harry who stared right back at her in agreement, a silent shadow passing over their faces as they remembered the year from hell.

"We've still got…you know….the letters to decide upon." Harry said to her however in a low voice.

Hermione shared a pained look with Harry.

"Let's not think about that." She said to him quietly with a look to Ginny who was glancing at Harry intently, studying him as if she could draw a sign from as to what he was going to do.

"It's hard _not_ to think about what to do." Harry told her and Hermione too almost felt the tug of the letter which remained in the glove compartment of the car.

_Best not think about it, she told herself, your plan right now is "get parents"._

"_Wow that's amazing!" _

"Yeah if we go somewhere can it be just us four?" Ron equired as Percy caused an old couple to stare at them as he gasped at seeing a Muggle walk past on a skateboard.

"Good God he's going to get us arrested." Harry murmured.

Lee, who had been staring around at their surroundings with avid excitement, walked back over to them grinning.

"This place is awesome," he told them happily, "So, were we going for a drink then?" he added excitedly.

Hermione tried to stop herself from hitting Lee as she reminded him that they were here for her parents.

"Oh yeah," said Lee in surprise, "Them."

Hermione glared at him pointedly.

"Well, sure after we pick them up we can take them out somewhere. I'm sure your dad doesn't object to tequila slammers."

Hermione decided to make the glare more pronounced.

"_Weasley family photo!" _

"Bugger!"

"Damm"

"Ah, Ah, Ah, Ah!" said Percy excitedly, bounding over to them with the exuberance of a child, Camera poised in his right hand, "This may well be our last pit stop!" he told them, "We need to get as many photos as possible!"

"Percy," Ginny told him steadily, "We don't need photos. The memory of you _actually _making out with someone will be ingrained in my mind"

"Yeah I sent that photo to the back of my mind." Ron told Ginny, "In some far region where I put the image of my 6 year old self reading mum's romance novels, eating dad's shaving cream and being 13 and finding Celestia Warbeck faintly attractive."

The all stared at him as Ron's face fell as realised what he'd just said.

"Well, what I mean is…." Ron stammered.

"Dude, Celestia Warbeck's like 55!"

"Yeah but…."

"You read Mum's romance novels?" Ginny demanded of him, "They had racy…stuff in it!" she added, going a bit red.

"How do you know?"

"Well…..hey you ate shaving cream! That instant stuff has doxy crap in it!"

"Well…."

"_Weasley Family Photo!" _

_Click! _

_Flash! _

"Oh bloody hell Percy!"

"What? You were all together!"

"Idiot!"

Hermione felt the need to get them moving.

"Let's go." She told them firmly, making sure the car was parked and heading out towards the exit of the car park.

"You're sick" she heard Lee tell Ron.

--

**Dear Ron, **

**Because of your contribution in the fight against Voldemort, it gives me great pain to ask for your help in the repairing and rebuilding of the country after his downfall. I know you will be wanting to relax but it would be to my express hope that you will accept any of the above positions in the Ministry of Magic and in particular, the position of an Auror at the Ministry of Magic. I Your abilities would be gratefully needed and have been proven by your contribution to the war effort and in the downfall of Voldemort. The Auror department would be grateful to have you. **

**I would be honoured to have you on our team. **

**Kingsley Shackelbolt**

**Acting Minister for Magic. **

_Dear Students. _

_After the tragic year we have just endured, we are are pleased to announce that Hogwarts will be open this next year. _

_Minerva McGonagall. _

_Headmistresss of Hogwarts. _

--

**Present **

The house was small with a garden out the front and hanging baskets from the front porch of the house. The lawn was cut neatly and flowers grew out of the ground in a neat circular flower bed. A faint tinkling could be heard as a light breeze brushed past Ron's head and he wondered what that was. Ron _knew _the house must be the Granger's. Who else could produce such an orderly and well organised looking house? It just screamed Hermione Granger. Who else could grow geraniums in such an orderly fashion?

Hermione herself was staring nervously but happily up at the house, wringing her hands together and tittering on the pavement as she worked herself to go and knock on the door. They had walked up here from the car park which lay down the road in front of a massive shopping centre. Hermione had lead the way to the house and she had been peering at the front door now for almost 5 minutes.

"Come on Mione," he muttered to her soothingly, "All you have to do is just go up and knock on the door."

Hermione looked sideways at him worryingly and then at the others. Harry was standing on her other side, peering around at the house with interest while Ginny, Percy, Lee and George sat on the pavement and stood behind the trio, all looking very hot and tired. George sat picking at the pavement with his finger, not even bothering to look at the house. Ron glared at his brother and continued to ignore him because as far as Ron was concerned, George couldn't justify what he did this morning. Ron was still angry about his comments.

Trying to fight the urge to start an argument Ron listened as Harry talked to Hermione in a comforting voice, "It's not a big deal," he was telling her, "If it's not them, it's not them."

"But what I feel like when I go up to the door?" Hermione said to Harry, her eyes wide and worried, almost like before she sat her first OWL exam, "What if I feel bad? What if they're different? What if they're happier here?"

She was starting to get rather agitated and Ron was glad when Harry glanced at him knowingly and they both began to get into 'calm down Hermione mode', something they'd managed to perfect over the past year.

"You already feel bad 'mione and with no reason to be! Come on this is your parents, you just have to flick your wand and they'll be back to normal."

"They will be different Hermione, you put them under a spell, they're meant to be different"

"Yes but-"

"They can't be happier than if they're with you."

"Yeah, and you need to watch you don't completely ruin them with your reversal spell. I've heard of that happening."

"Not helping Percy."

Harry rolled his eyes at Ron and then turned back to Hermione, Ron hoping she wasn't paying attention to Percy and his half arsed comments. The last thing they all needed was for Hermione to have a freak out.

"If its not them what will we say?" asked Lee casually.

"We'll think of something," Ginny told him, _"The last thing Hermione needs to worry about is that." _Ron heard her hiss to Lee angrily afterwords.

Ron seen Hermione nod slightly at Ginny's words, she took a deep breath and stared up at the house determidly.

"Let's go Mione," he whispered to her, "Get this over and done with."

She threw him a small smile which made his stomach flutter and marched up to the front door of the house, climbing gingerly up the small steps that led up to the front porch. Harry and Ron followed her with Ginny, Percy and Lee following them. George trailed behind them, looking depressedly at the ground.

Hermione knocked on the door of the house lightly before peering in interest at the chairs which surrounded the door, the flower pot which sat at the far end of the porch, some metallic objects that kept twinkling every time they moved and which hung from the door. Her face seemed to lighten as she stared at each part of the house, Ron hoped this was because she recognised attributes which led to her parents.

For a moment there was silence. Ron glanced around him and noticed the others glancing around the garden, tapping their feet and staring at the door in polite interest, even George had looked up from staring at a random flower pot to peer at the door to see Mr and Mrs Granger appear.

But nobody answered the door.

Looking rather upset, Hermione rapped lightly on the door again with her knuckles, frowning and looking worried. There was the sound of something crashing inside the house and then a growl of annoyance.

Then there was a pause.

The door opened quite abruptly. A small women with a rather large stomach appeared at the door, peering round at them all with wide eyes. Rather randomly, she wore a sarong and a bikini and flip flops, her belly bouncing over the sarong enthusiastically. On her ears she wore large hooped earrings which seemed to jiggle in time with her body. Around her wrists she wore large bangles.

There was only one thing Ron could think about….that wasn't Mrs Granger. Well, unless she'd put on some serious weight in a year.

"And who are you?"

Number two, that bikini is too small, thought Ron, trying and failing not to notice the women's massive breasts.

"Hi," said Hermione nervously, staring with worry at the women's face, "I'm looking for Monica Wilkins and-"

"Well I'm a Wilkins but my name's Jane," the women butted in, eying Hermione up and down, "I lecture at the University here." She paused, "You're English!" she said in surprise, "What in blazes are you lot doing out here?"

Hermione glanced at Harry and Ron , "I am English," she said to them women slowly, "I'm out here looking for my…Aunt and Uncle Monica and Wendell Wilkins. They moved to Australia this year and I'm just trying to find out were they are. We heard this house was the only Wilkins in the city."

The woman studied Hermione carefully.

"No Monica here unless my husband's as Mormon!," Jane told Hermione, "Why on earth did your Aunt not give you an address?"

"Family Argument," said Hermione sadly, her face falling slowing into disappointment. Ron touched her hand softly.

"David!" Jane yelled, turning towards the inside of her house, "Have you heard of a Monica Wilkins?"

"No!" came an angry male voice, "I told you, I haven't been anywhere that night-club in ages!"

The women's face went angry for a moment.

"Stupid Prat," Ron heard her mutter, "Obviously on the defence."

"You're quite quite sure that you've never heard of a Monica and Wendall Wilkins?"

"Not at all Sweetie," Jane said kindly, "Ask around though, I'm sure she'll turn up!"

"Thank you," Harry said to Jane, looking at Hermione who was looking crestfallen.

"Sure thing!" Jane said as they turned away, "Hope you find your Aunt!"

And she shut the door in their faces.

--

"There was always the possibility it might not have been them Hermione," Ginny was saying soothingly, "We've got others to check out!"

Hermione had been very down since they had left Jane Wilkins house to check into a youth hostel near the city centre, the car parked outside in all its scrappy glory. Harry was dealing with the money and the others were all standing around and glancing at their lodgings for the night. Hermione hadn't talked much and was now being consoled by Ginny.

"We're going to find them Hermione, they're in one of the many houses that you picked out! We might not have got them today but we will!"

"I think I just thought we would get them today."

Hermione spoke in such a small, sad little voice that Ginny looked at Ron who shrugged hopelessly. It might be better to let Hermione brood for a while, he thought. Her shoulders were drooped and there was frown on her face , her eyes were slightly watery too. She could hardly even look at Ginny.

Ron knew Hermione's worry for her parents had dominated her thoughts through everything in the past two weeks and even throughout the Horcrux hunt. Her whole hopes must have been built on finding them immediately. Ron gathered Hermione in his arms from behind, putting his arms around her middle, kissing her forehead softly. She grasped his hand gratefully and turned a little to smile sadly at him.

"Right we're up the stairs come on folks"

Harry was holding up a pair of keys and nodded to them all to follow him up a flight of stairs that curled upwards. Teenagers and young adults were walking up and down it, laughing and talking with eachother. The others grabbed their suitcases and followed Harry. Ron kept a grip on Hermoine's waist to stop her from following.

"Are you OK?" he asked quietly as the others began to move to the stairs.

She turned in his arms and threw him a sad look.

"I don't think I'm ever going to be in a good mood on this trip," she told him bitterly, "I'm just miserable, I keep snapping at anyone, I'm not any fun, I'm just so upset! I really thought I was going to find them Ron." She said to him in miserable voice, her voice chocking a little like she was going to cry.

Ron couldn't stand to see her like this. Not when after everything they'd been through. She should be happy! He smiled at her faintly in understanding before bending down and kissing her, something he still couldn't believe that he could actually do.

Hermione only hesitated a little bit before kissing him back, winding her arms round his neck and kissing him back with a little happy sigh. Ron gladly wrapped his arms around her waist and stroked her cheek with his hand, wanting to make her feel better. God, she was beautiful….

He was never going to get tired of this.

"Oi!" came Harry's voice, cheerful and taunting, "Is this the moment? There's a whole-saving parents thing going on here!"

They broke apart, staring at Harry with the same equally annoyed stared. Harry winked at them.

"Is this a J-Lo movie or something?" Lee asked impatiently, "Hurry up!"

"We got an eight person dorm I'm afraid. Not private anyway," Harry told them as they climbed the stairs, dragging their suitcases with them "We're sharing with someone apparently."

"I hope they're nice," Ginny said out loud, wincing as her suitcase nearly dropped on her foot.

"I hope they're fit," said Lee, wiping sweat off his forehead, pulling up his suitcase and nearly sending Percy falling to the ground.

Hermione still looked miserable.

There was no-one in their room when they reached it, only an empty bed which was half made and had a suitcase under it. From glancing at the belongings, Ron could tell it was a girl. Lee would get his wish then.

The room itself was painted red and full of bunk beds, one single bed and one double bed. In the middle of the room there was a table and a couple of chairs.

"I get top bunk!"

Percy leaped into action first, jumping up on top of the first bunkbed he seen, sitting on it, folding his arms and glaring round at them all as if daring them to challenge him.

"Wow Percy," Lee said sardonically, "You're guarding that bunk like the Spanish will invade"

"Oh yeah? You want George to get the other top bunk?"

"Oi back off!"

Lee shoved George out of the way before climbing up on the other top bunk, lying down on it and grinning like mad. George rolled his eyes before taking the other single bed.

That left Ron, Hermione, Ginny and Harry

"Well then, Ron, Hermione, you take the double bed." Ginny said briskly, moving towards one of the bunks.

Ron felt his ears go red.

Share the same bed with Hermione with George in the room? The thought unnerved Ron but he thought George might not have the energy these days to make fun. It wasn't supposed to be knowledge that he and Hermione had been sharing a room. Or at least not spoken out loud. Strange ideas came into his head both wonderful and scary at the same time and the thought of sharing a bed with her again. In the past hotel there had only been one bed for all of them.

This holiday just got better.

"It's Okay Ginny, you and I will take the bunk beds, Ron and Harry can share."

Huh?

Ron turned to face Hermione as she spoke. She was looking slightly flustered, winding one of her curls around one of her fingers and trying not to stare at him. What on earth was wrong with her? They'd slept in the same bed together plenty of times in the past couple of weeks. Why was she refusing to do so?

"What Ron?" she asked to him crossly as he stared at her incredulously, "We can't sleep in the same bed. Not here." She added in a low voice.

Ron gaped at her. What, he thought, was the difference between sleeping in his own bedroom and a double bed in the middle of a hostel? Surely his own bed was worse!

"We've been sharing the same bed for weeks!" he said to her grumpily, "What's the difference?"

"_Ron!" _

Ron didn't care. Like they all didn't know already.

"_You've been sharing the same bed?"_ Percy cried in shock, staring between them, mouth agape.

Except for Percy.

Everyone looked at him incredulously.

"What are you the Pope?" Lee said to him angrily, "Captain obvious to the rescue, of course they have!"

"Does mother know about this?"

"Shut up Percy," hissed Ginny as Percy began to look shocked and appalled.

Ron turned back to Hermione.

"What's the problem?" he asked "There's nothing wrong with it and I'm not having Harry sleep beside Ginny when I'm in the same room!"

"Hey! That's not fair that's-"

Harry shut up as Percy, George and Ron equally glared at him.

"I'm done" he said quickly and sat down with a flourish on the bottom bunk beside Ginny, looking slightly scared as each of Ginny's brothers turned away. Ginny smirked at him.

Ron turned to look at Hermione who was now looking very uncomfortable as everyone was staring at them.

"What's the problem?" he asked her crossly, "Its not like we're not doing anything questionable." He said to her. Hermione went bright red.

"Ron shut up!" she hissed at him frantically, glaring around at everyone else who was staring at them quite unabashedly, "Can't you all do something else?" Hermione asked them irritably.

"Nah this is rather entertaining," George said to her, staring between the pair of them with more energy in his eyes than Ron had seen in them since Fred.

"We're not sharing a bed together Ron!" Hermione hissed at Ron, "It's different when we're away with your family!"

How does that even make sense?, thought Ron staring at her as if she had three heads. _Now_ she was getting worried about sleeping with him in the same bed? Not after Final Battle when he'd crawled in beside her? Not the night of Fred's funeral when they'd got pretty close to going a little too far with the kissing? No. Apparently Hermione was getting nervous on a holiday with no parents, a van and with a group of people who didn't really care (Percy didn't count).

"I don't give a shit," said Ginny helpfully.

"Yeah, just as long as you both keep the noise down," added Lee with a snicker.

Ginny threw a pillow at him.

"We're not sharing at bed together. Now Percy knows for gods sake! Even Lee thinks we're…."

"It's _Lee_!"

"I don't want your mother to think I'm a scarlet woman!" Hermione told him firmly.

"She won't think that!" cried Ron, half laughing, Hermione was looking petrified, "She might already know for gods sake unless she's a dumb as Percy."

"Hey!" piped up Percy angrily.

"She'll think we're…." Hermione stopped talking, looking even more embarrassed.

"But we're not!" he said to her exasperatedly, "Please," he added more to himself than her, "I wish"

"What?"

Damm, she heard.

Ron looked up at her, Hermione was staring at him incredulously.

"You wish?" she said in a shocked fashion, "You're thinking of sex already?" she asked him softly, "We've been dating for only a couple of weeks." She added, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Well, you know…"

Ron shrugged slightly and bent his head slightly so not to look at Lee who was grinning at him.

They stared at eachother quietly rather awkwardly. Ron reminding himself over and over that he'd just told Hermione Granger that he'd like to have sex with her.

"Well," Harry said dryly, cutting through the tension, "As much as I like an awkward conversation about sex with the two best friends of mine that I almost consider family, I really think we should go do something."

It was decided that Hermione and Ginny would share the double bed and Ron and Harry would have the bunks.

**--**

**Dear Mr Potter**

**I seems stupid to ask Harry, and I feel guilty for doing so, but I am offering you a full position at the Auror academy. I have also offered it to Ron and Hermione as well. I don't need to go into why you should take it or why I'm offering it to you. We would be honoured to have you. **

**Hope you're having a great holiday**

**Kingsley**

_Dear Students of Hogwarts,_

_After the tragic events of last year, we are pleased to announce that Hogwarts will be open this coming year. _

_Minerva McGonagall_

_Headmistress of Hogwarts_

--

**Present**

"They are not real."

"I mean…wow."

"Have you lot done with staring at that women's breast yet?"

"Holy crap those are not real!"

"_Ginny_!"

Harry laughed as his girlfriend gaped at the women nearby as they lay on the beach (after pushing Hermione to get out of the hostel), while Percy gaped at her forwardness. Harry was staring too, rather unabashedly as the women in question was wearing the tiniest bikini he'd ever seen and had breasts bigger than his head.

"I don't know why you're all staring, its not as if you all haven't seen breasts before," Hermione told them all in a mulish voice, staring at a book and frowning.

Harry felt the accusing stares of Ron, Percy and George on him and he shrunk into his towel.

"I've never seen breasts before," he lied out loud.

"Yeah, you better not have," he heard Ron mutter.

Harry thanked god Ron couldn't read minds.

There was a slight silence as they all looked about themselves, read books and poked at the sand before someone spoke. George stared into space again, looking bothered by whatever it was that had been bothering him all morning. Harry glanced at Ron and Hermione who were still not looking very comfortable around each-other, avoiding each-others eyes and looking nervous.

"Isn't it great just lying here?" said Lee out loud, " I mean, this is exactly what we needed."

"I'll second that," said Ron.

"I could stay like this all day," Ginny said wistfully, lying down on the sand further and closing her eyes. Harry wished she had chosen to get into her bikini but neither she or Hermione had felt like sunbathing. Neither of them were really the sunbathing type when he thought about it.

He looked about and seen Percy beaming around himself, George staring at a shell with glazed eyes (what on earth was wrong with him?) and Lee staring at the passers by. Ginny too looked relaxed and comfortable.

Harry too felt comfortable, more relaxed than he ever had been anyway. He could sleep at night now, being able to take a shower and sit and do nothing was a rare oddity he was still getting used to. Also, nowhere was anybody trying to look for him to save them Spiderman style.

The problem?

Harry still couldn't get himself to rid himself of all Voldemort/scary people trying to kill me related thoughts. It was true what he had said to Ron on the plane. It was odd going from "the boy-who-voldemort-liked-to-try-and-kill-a-lot" to "the-boy-who-drank-a-lot-of-magners"

Voldemort was dead. He was gone for good, never coming back in a Dracula/ Wes Craven horror film kinda way, yet Harry still couldn't stop the feeling he'd had since he was little and in Hogwarts, the fear that someone was continually out to get him. The constant need to be on edge at all times, the understanding that he couldn't not think about the face that the DADA teacher was a bit dodgy and the fact that his scar wasn't sore….boy was it weird that didn't happen anymore….yet.

And Harry supposed that was it, he was waiting for something to happen. Still. Sometimes he thought he felt his scar hurt, a reflex in the night, a twinge in his head that he sometimes alluded to his scar but which usually turned out to be a result of Ron throwing Bertie Bots Beans at him at 3 O'Clock in the morning just to get a laugh.

And there was Kingsleys' letter to think about.

He supposed it would take a couple of years to stop.

"My mum and dad would have loved this."

It was Hermione who spoke, softly and sadly. Harry threw her an understanding smile, knowing his friend was very much upset by the face her parents hadn't been found yet.

"They will!" Ginny said to Hermione, who was lying beside Hermione and beside Harry, "When we find them we'll take your mum out for cocktails and a beach party."

Hermione giggled. Harry thought he faintly heard George snort derisively.

"That would be fun," she conceded to Ginny, beaming at her, "I did buy a cocktail dress that I've been dying to wear."

Ginny fained shock.

"You have a dress you're actually going to wear without my insistence?" she asked Hermione teasingly.

Hermione threw her a withering look.

"What d'you mean?" asked Ron to Ginny, sitting beside Harry and then George. Hermione looked at him out of the corner of her eye and didn't answer him.

"If Hermione had got her way," Ginny told Ron, "She'd have worn her jeans and a pretty top to Bill's wedding. I mean, she didn't even want to go to the Yule Ball!"

Harry and Ron looked at Hermione incredulously.

"You looked lovely at Bill's wedding." Harry told her.

Hermione blushed at gave him a pretty smile.

"I don't like showing myself off," she said to him sheepishly.

"You didn't want to go to the Yule Ball?" Ron asked her incredulously.

Hermione went a little red but answered calmly.

"I did," she said to him, "I was just nervous." She told him with a small smile, "You know, Viktor Krum, the first time I'd ever worn a dress."

Ron looked perplexed.

"She also wanted you to ask her as well Ron," Ginny butted in briskly, giving her brother a harsh look. Harry chuckled and Hermione smiled Ginny.

"Hey!" cried Ron looking put out, "I didn't know that!"

All but George looked at him. Harry noticed he was looking angrier by the minute. He was looking off in a different direction, grinding his teeth together.

"Ron," Percy said pointedly, "I think Voldemort knew Hermione wanted you to ask her to go to the Ball. In fact, he probably had a bet on it and split it with his snake"

Ron looked at Hermione, looking put out.

"But we discussed this!" he insisted to her.

Everyone looked at Hermione who rolled her eyes.

"Ron and I have both agreed he was in his dumb ass phase," Hermione told them with a smile, "He was rightfully unaware that he liked me."

They all looked at Ron.

"You've agreed to call this your dumb ass stage?" Harry asked Ron.

"Oh yeah, we had like this long talk while you were making movie star handshakes with the whole of Hogwarts. It was agreed." He said.

Harry threw him a withering smile.

Hermione smiled shyly at Ron.

"Personally," Percy piped in, "I was surprised Ron didn't get you before the battle."

"Yeah," said Harry, "And she kissed him"

"Shut up Harry."

"Hehe"

"_Oh my god will you all shut up!"_

It was George. The sound of his voice made them all He stood up onto his feet and glared down at them all with angry, miserable eyes, his fists clenched and his face looking tortured.

"I don't care!" he yelled at them, "I don't give a shit if Ron didn't know he liked Hermione I don't give a crap! Why are we lying on a beach? Why aren't we apparating so we can find Hermione's parents _and go home!" _

Harry stared at George, completely taken aback at this random outburst. He had been sitting so quietly just a moment ago.

"George calm down!" Ginny said to him uncomfortably, "What on earth are you getting so worked up about?"

George ignored her.

"How can you just sit there?" George snapped at Hermione, "Knowing your parents are out there?"

Harry seen Hermione frown at George. It was the second time today that he had yelled at her.

"I mean seriously," George snapped at Hermione, continuing the barrage of insults, "You haven't seen them for months, a year! How can you sit here taking about cocktails and dresses!"

"Hey back off!" Ron snapped at him.

Hermione just stared at George. She looked not angry but weary.

"George," she said in a low voice, "I haven't forgotten my parents at all."

George just snorted at her and glared at her.

"Stop being such a dick," Ron snarled at him.

"Oh you little.."

George snapped and made a move towards Ron before Lee jumped up and grabbed him. Harry stood up too, ready to stop George from hitting Ron. Percy got up too, looking worried.

"Get off!" George yelled at Lee, throwing him off with an irritated arm, "I'm bloody fed up with the lot of you!"

"George please," Ginny pleaded softly, reaching out a hand towards her brother.

George ignored her.

"Don't follow me," he snapped at Ginny and before turning to storm down the beach, "And by the way. Ron," George paused to glare at his younger brother, "_You didn't know Hermione liked you? _Uric the Oddball called. He wants his brain back!"

And he stormed off down the beach, leaving them all staring after him.

"Wow," said Lee faintly, "He managed to insult you and make fun of you in the same sentence. The guy's got skills."

"What a wanker!" hissed Ron angrily glaring after his elder brother's retreating back, "What on earth is up with him? First, he's yelling at Hermione all morning and then he's being a dick all day!"

"I'll go talk to him," Hermione said with a sigh.

"Hermione," said Ginny, "No offense. But I think that you're the last person my brother wants to see right now."

Hermione shrugged

"It's Ok," she said, "I can deal with him.

**Past Hauntings**

She found him outside the car, sitting on the ground with his arms crossing his chest and glaring at some poor kid who was staring at him from the back seat of his car. The kid stuck his tongue out at George and George glared back, getting more infuriated as the kid began to get more and more eccentric.

"You know I've heard its better to actually not stare at someone when they do that." George spoke before Hermione could get a word out. She wondered how on earth he had known she was there. His eyes seemed glazed, gazing angrily at the kid in front of him.

"That's what my mother always told me," Hermione said to George uncomfortably.

George said nothing and stared down at the ground, his hands flopping over his knees.

"Can I sit down?" Hermione asked.

He was silent.

"I'm going to sit down anyway," Hermione said briskly.

She flopped down beside George, leaning against the car and nervously setting her arms in her lap.

"What do you want?" he asked her, staring at the ground. His voice was muffled because his head was bent.

Hermione shifted her shoulders uncomfortably.

"Thought I'd follow you," she said to him softly, "You've yelled at me-"

"Oh for Gods sake!" George interrupted, banging his head off the van angrily and turning to glare at her, "Leave.me.alone!"

"-And I thought I'd see what was wrong with you" Hermione finished rather more forcefully, glaring at him.

George let out a frustrated groan, staring at her threw narrowed eyes.

"Are you this annoying with Harry and Ron?" he snapped at her, "I don't want to talk! I want to brood insensibly for days!"

"I'm worse with Harry and Ron actually," Hermione replied dryly, ignoring his latter comments, "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition."

George stared at her blankly.

"What?" he grunted.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Not everybody was Monty Pythonwise as she was, it seemed.

She sighed wearily and stared at George. He stared back at her defiantly. It nearly made her laugh as his expression was exactly the same as Rons' whenever he was defending something he said and she thought he was wrong. His eyes were the same colour too.

"Look," she said to him softly, "You're obviously annoyed with me." He rolled his eyes and looked away, "Or annoyed at everyone rather. I want to know what's wrong." She paused, "Apart from the obvious."

George raised his eyes to the heavens and said nothing. Hermione stared at him for a couple of minutes, half expecting him to start talking. Within a couple of seconds she realised he wasn't going to.

She glanced over at the kid in the car, now staring at her with a peculiar expression. What exactly did she want to get out of George? He barely spoke to anyone these days. The light in him had gone out.

"Why can't you talk to Ginny?" she asked him quietly, "She's upset that you don't . You used to tell her everything."

He still said nothing.

Bloody Weasleys! Hermione leaned her own head back down against the van in frustration. She did it rather more forcefully than she expected and her head seared with pain.

"_Ow_!"

George whipped around to stare at her. He caught her rubbing her head in anger and glaring at the car.

And he burst out into giggles.

Hermione stared at him in surprise, one hand clutching her head as George chortled to himself. He put one hand around his mouth and his whole body shook with laughter, staring at her.

Hermione gaped at him. She hadn't seen George laugh in …well since Fred died! But there he was laughing away.

Even so, it was an odd laughter Hermione thought staring at him, sort of hollow. It sounded like he was trying to remember how to do it.

"Oh funny," she said to him bitterly, "So we should all injure ourselves in future to get you to show any emotion" She added sarcastically.

George gave a snort and began to giggle quietly, wiping his eyes and staring at her with bemusement.

"You're such an idiot for such a smart person." He told her threw light chuckles.

Hermione glared at him. George stared at her pointedly.

"What?" he said defensively, "That was funny Granger."

Hermione wished she hadn't come over to see him now.

"You're horrible." She snapped at him angrily.

George shook his head, smiling slightly and glancing at her in a much softer way.

"I'm not going to tell you what's wrong." He told her, "But if you bang your head off the door again I might."

Hermione glared at him. George chortled again and looked away.

"What happened this morning?" she asked him persistently.

George didn't answer.

--

As Hermione went off to find George, Harry found himself wandering down the beach in search of a toilet. He hoped Hermione would find George. He had been in such a grouchy mood so much these past two days that Harry didn't really know what to say to him.

He supposed it was a guy thing.

You couldn't just walk up to a bloke and ask to talk about feelings and stuff, thought Harry. George would have every right to hit him if Harry was to even remotely to bring up the subject of Fred. He supposed George dealt with it like he, Harry, dealt with Remus and Tonk's death. In his own way.

Men, Harry supposed, dealt with things alone. They didn't have to have long talks or conversations about things when it upset them. Ron had never mentioned his mixed up feelings with Harry about Hermione, Harry had never talked about Sirius, Ron never talked about Fred with Harry….Hermione did it all for them. Asking George about Fred was a bit like walking up to Severus Snape and asking, "So, Lily Evans then. I hear she and James Potter are together…what happened then?:" he thought bitterly.

Somewhere in front of him, Harry spotted a long cue leading into what he supposed was toilet cubicles. They appeared to be in a small building which had been built on the beach. Men were coming in and out of it and women were cued up outside it.

Why, thought Harry, did women always have to cue up to use the toilet while men just seemingly walked in and out of toilets like there wasn't anything to wait for?

He was washing his hands after going to the toilet when a man stepped up beside him, washing his hands in the next sink. He didn't appear odd to Harry except that he wore a hood over his face.

Harry glanced only once at him, looking back down again at his hands, washing them with water and a rather itchy soap.

When he looked up, the man was gone.

Harry froze and stared blankly at the space in front of him. Still standing half bent, his hands in mid-wash, half covered in soap and dripping as they were under the tap, Harry turned around and looked around a seemingly empty toilet.

_What?_

Ok, thought Harry, men don't disappear like that.

It had magic written all over it.

Had he apparated? Surely he hadn't as Harry hadn't heard the usual crack!

Hastily drying his hands, Harry walked hesitantly around the toilet, looking for something but not sure what, before finding only empty cubicles. He felt uneasy, a familiar sensation that someone was out to get him

Harry couldn't stop himself, a man had just disappeared in front of him while being dressed in stereotypically dodgy clothing.

"Hello?" he called out hesitantly and instantly felt stupid as he had never called out Hello to a Death Eater.

What am I, in first year again? He thought wryly.

There was only the sound of a tap dripping and the sound of the people on the beach.

"I'm going nuts," Harry said out loud before turning and walking towards the door. He was being stupid, he thought, here he was on a beach in Australia and here he was thinking that people were still out to get him.

Morbid much, he thought.

A man walked out of nowhere, Harry caught a glimpse of dark clothing and instantly was back on the game.

Slam!

Harry ran into the stranger rugby tackle style, hitting him right in the chest with his shoulder. The man toppled to the floor with a yell, throwing his hands onto his head.

Harry pointed his wand to the mans' head, breathing heavily and feeling his heart beat at a hundred extra beats a minute, holding down the man with one arm.

"Who are you?" he demanded.

"Gerrof me!" the man yelled, "What the hell are you doing?"

The accent was American. There weren't any Death Eaters who were American. Not as far as Harry knew.

"I'm sorry!" Harry gasped getting off the man and gazing down into the eyes of a very tall, very broad shouldered American who was glaring up at him.

"What the hell did you do that for?" the man demanded angrily, getting to his feet and staring down at Harry and making him feel ten times smaller.

"I'm sorry," Harry stammered, "I just thought…."

"Thought _what _on a beach in the middle of Melbourne?!"

The man glared at him and stormed off in a different direction muttering to himself. Harry caught words such as , "Limey Jackass" and "Either bloody gay or nuts."

Harry was left holding his wand both equally confused and feeling like a twat.

Where had that man gone?

**9 Hours earlier. **

"You know I was joking when I shouted at that guy!"

"You may as well have peed all over the floor to mark your territory!"

"Well maybe that would have worked!"

George rolled his eyes as he awoke that morning to the sounds of Hermione and Ron finally having their long due argument after last nights incident at the nightclub.

Both Ron and Hermione were standing feet apart from each other shouting while Harry sleepily watched them with a bemused expression. Ginny and Lee packed up their stuff. Percy it seemed was still sitting in a daze after getting a kiss from the American girl the night before.

"Hermione you know I didn't mean to call you a pain in the ass!"

"You told some body who was talking to me to Eff off!"

"He was trying to get into you!"

"So? I didn't like him!"

"You might have done!"

"You know," Ginny called from the other side of the room, "It was more fun when you two had lots of sexual tension between one another!"

"Yeah, it was interesting." Harry added with a snigger.

Ron through Harry a withering look.

"How many times do I have to tell you that _I fancy you!"_ Hermione insisted to Ron, ignoring both Ginny and Harry and looking at Ron in a pleading manner, "I have to drive to Melbourne this morning so can we please get this sorted?"

George watched his little brother go red and lose a fight to stop a small smirk from creeping across his face. He stared at Hermione with a soft expression, his eyes going all mushy and adoring.

"I know you do," Ron said to Hermione, "It's just hard to believe sometimes."

Harry made a retching noise from his place on the floor and Lee threw Ron a disgusted look. Percy was still staring up at the ceiling with a silly smile on his face.

"OK," said Harry, wrinkling his nose and giving Ron a, "What kind of Pussy are you anyway?" look, "If you two are about to start into the 'why you fancy each other talk' I'm going to go and get breakfast."

"We don't need to be here for that pile of mush," Lee added, "Although I don't mind watching if its good."

George groaned as Ron threw Harry and Lee a annoyed look. He climbed out of his sleeping bag and meandered his way to the bathroom, closing the door so that the voices of his siblings were muffled.

George walked to the slightly cracked mirror and stared at the sink.

One

Two

Three

He felt the same way he felt like every morning now. Like Shit. Freds death cursed through him like venom and he the need to curl up in a ball in a dark room was overwhelming. It was still like someone had come in and ripped out his insides. He couldn't even look at himself in the mirror.

Tap! Tap!

He jumped at the noise that seemed to be coming from the window. Turning, he seen an owl hovering outside the window holding three letters. He hurried to the window and opened it allowing the owl to fly in.

"Hi," he said to the owl doubtfully, "What on earth are you doing here?"

The owl landed on the side of the bath and held out its leg, George took the letters and stared at the creature with a scowl. It hooted at him.

"Yeah, have a nice day too." George snapped.

"Er, Hello? Hello?"

George jumped a mile in the air.

"Hello? Hello?"

The voice was coming from somewhere within the Bathroom and it wasn't a voice that George recognised.

"Hello there can you hear me?"

He spun around until his eyes landed on the mirror hanging over the sink. There was someone staring back at him _in_ the mirror. His reflection had been replaced by a young man a couple of years older than him with short black hair and a beaming smile.

"What the-"

"Hello there!" said the man in a booming Yorkshire accent, "My name's Ian. I'm from the British Ministry of Magic."

George blinked and stared at 'Ian' who was obviously using a mirroring charm to put his image in the mirror from London to talk to George.

Why on earth would he be doing this?

"Hi," he said to the mirror mulishly.

Ian blinked at him in surprise and then beamed at him.

"Ah Mr Weasley!" he said brightly.

"Er, that's me." Said George warily.

"I'm here on behalf of Mr Kingsley," Ian said, "I've been appointed the new liason officer for the Minister. I've just spent the year in Albania. I was working on fighting Anti-Death Eater activity there and needless to say thanks to you lot I've been able to come home!"

George didn't care.

"What do you want?" he asked rather grumpily.

Ian glanced at the letters in George's hand.

"Ah!" he said happily, "I see you've got them already! The Minister sends these letters to Miss Granger and Misters Potter and Weasley with his kindest regards and asks that they think them over and reply to him upon returning home."

George glanced down at the envelopes.

"Oh," he said.

Ian beamed at him.

"It is impertinent that the three of them get these letters. The entire wizarding world will soon be wanting to know what is happening with the 3 people who helped destroy Voldemort."

George flinched however did not correct Ian.

"Thanks." He said to him, "I'll pass it on."

He headed towards the door however Ian still continued to talk.

"Who are you?" he asked in interest, "Are you…? Wait!"

George watched Ian gasp in delight and beam at George.

"You must be one of the twins! Weasley's Wizard Wheezes!" he gasp.

"Yeah," said George darkly.

Ian beamed at him.

"I remember seeing you from the papers."

Ian gave him a peculiar look.

"So," he asked "Where's your twin?" then, "Where's George?"

--

Will update as soon as I can! R and R


	9. Chapter 9 Distraction

Here we go folks. Apologies about the timing. Being in 3rd year and writing a dissertation is a bitch. This chapter feels a bit....random. But it's going somewhere trust me.

******************************************************************************************************************************************

"George?"

Ginny could feel the grains of tiredness drain out of her as she stared around the car park. The wind lightly tossed her hair and she rubbed her eyes a couple of times to get the sleep out of them, yawning as she did so.

"George?"

She stood in her bare feet and pyjamas, looking for her brother who was not in his bed and nowhere near the van. Her feet were getting progressively warm as they touched the dimly hot ground.

The car park was in dim light, the touch of light that was in the sky hit off the roofs of the cars and pierced her eyes as the evening began to slip away. In the distance she could hear the sound of people as they awoke for the morning and the sound of cars driving up the distant motorway. She felt groggy, weary and tiresome.

Blinking into the sun she walked around the car, trying not to step on some of the glass that lay on the ground. Ginny covered her eyes and squinted across the car park, looking for the flash of ginger hair only to find nothing. The car park was pretty full, but there was no-one around. A car flew past making her hair fly up and hit her on the face.

Getting worried, Ginny padded her way back to the car and stared into the van again. Georges' bed was empty. His covers looked like they'd never even been slept in.

Ginnys mind seemed to go into overdrive. What if he'd run off? What if he'd gone home? Her mother would kill her. Ginny had been dozing for a while before she'd realised that George wasn't in his bed.

That meant he'd been gone for a while. That meant he was missing.

George, her grieving brother who was currently only really talking to Hermione at the minute had gone missing.

Ginny stared around her at her friends, all curled up in balls and asleep in the van where they'd spent the night. They were travelling to Canberra now and the journey was that long they now had to use the van to sleep in. Hermione and Ron lay on the seats on the back, in separate beds but with their heads turned towards each other. On the floor lay Harry with Percy beside him, Percy hogging the duvet like a champ. In the very back seat lay Lee, legs sprawled duvet everywhere, the place where Ginny slept and the place on the floor between them where George should have been.

Ginny turned around and stared out again into the car park.

Where the hell was he?

"_Ron! Percy!" _

Ginny hissed at her two older brothers, both of them out for the count. They didn't respond and Percy merely sniffed and Ron seemed to drool.

Ginny rolled her eyes and walked into the van, crouching slightly as she did so as the ceiling was so low. Deciding that she didn't need to bother about with niceties right now, she merely directed a slight kick to Percy's stomach.

"Ooof! Ouch! What the-"

Ginny smiled to herself as Percy awoke, yelped and glared up at her.

"Hi." said Ginny sardonically. Percy blinked and looked up at her through squinted eyes. Ginny knew he found it hard to see without his glasses.

"What….._Ginny?_ What on earth are you doing?"

Ginny blinked.

"How'd you know it was me?" she asked in surprise.

"You have a distinct blurry outline."

There was a pause

"Ok."

"Why did you kick me?"

"George's gone."

Percys' eyes grew wide but he looked confused. He sat up on his elbows to peer blearily at her.

"He's gone?" he asked groggily.

"He's not in his bed." Ginny said to Percy in a slightly worried voice, "Percy," she said, "I don't know if I'm overreacting but, you know, he's been in a bad mood these last few days and now he's not here…."

"Or maybe he just went for a piss?"

The sound of Georges voice made Ginny spin around and accidently kick Percy again in the stomach.

"George!"

"Ooof!"

Percy clutched his stomach and his eyes began to water.

Ginny stared at her brother who was now standing in the doorway giving both Ginny and Percy a contemptuous look. He looked tired, eyes groggy with dark rings around his eyes. He was still in pyjamas.

He wasn't missing however.

"Where have you been?" Ginny asked him, trying not to sound frantic, "I woke up a while ago. I was just dozing until I realised you were gone!"

George stared at her.

"I was taking a leak." He said to her dryly, "Hardly surprising seeing how this van doesn't have at toilet."

Ginny shifted her shoulders uncomfortably. That was a good point.

"Bloody hell…wasz goin on?"

Ron was awake it seemed. He stared blearily up at Ginny and twisted his body around to see George standing in the doorway.

"I was taking a piss." George told Ron in a deadpan fashion.

"Hello, good morning to you too," said Ron to George in confusion.

"It's not my fault," said George with a scowl, "Ginny woke you up."

Ron turned and gave Ginny a bleary eyed confused look.

"You woke me up because George was at the toilet?"

"I thought he was missing!" Ginny insisted to Ron.

Ron looked at George through squinted eyes.

"You went missing?" he asked him.

"I was at the toilet!"

"Ginny kicked me in the stomach to tell me he was missing!" Percy said angrily, clutching his stomach and glaring up at Ginny.

Ron twisted again to look at Ginny.

"You kicked him in the stomach?" Ron asked Ginny.

"I thought George was missing!"

"I was on the toilet!" George butted insisted.

"What are you lot going on about?"

Hermione, Harry and Lee were awake now, sleepily sitting up, rubbing their eyes and staring round at everyone.

"What are you lot shouting about?" Lee asked bitterly, "I was having a well nice dream."

"I took a leak," said George dryly.

Lee blinked and went silent.

"You went to the toilet?" he asked George slowly.

Lee looked at the others angrily.

"Why are we awake because George performed a daily bodily function?"

"Apparently Ginny thought George was missing." Ron told him pointedly.

"Why were you missing?" Hermione asked George a concerned look on her face.

"I wasn't missing!" George insisted.

"Apparently he was just taking a piss," said Ron.

"Why did you think he was missing?" Harry asked Ginny.

"He wasn't there when I woke up!" Ginny said angrily.

"She kicked me in the stomach to tell me so!" Percy butted in, "It's very painful!" he added hotly as nobody was paying him any attention.

"So you were in the toilet?" Hermione asked George, "That's it?"

"He was gone for a while!" Ginny insisted to the whole van.

"You didn't have to kick me in the stomach!" Percy snapped to her.

"Look," George began furiously, "I was in the toilet!" he cried angrily, talking above the din and throwing up his hands, "I went to the toilet because I needed to, you're all stupid you're all driving me mad what the hell'd you think I was going to do piss on the floor!"

He said it all in one breath, his chest heaving and leaving the whole group to stare at him.

"So," Ron said slowly, "You weren't missing?"

"NO!"

"Oh.", Ron paused, "Ginny you're thick."

**Chapter Nine: Trouble Ahead. **

Harry and Ron were speechless.

No. Not speechless thought Ron, gobsmacked.

"You two look hot."

Lee had put it into words. He stared openly at Ginny and Hermione as they sat down on their towels and began to open up books, make up cases and put on….lotion.

"Ginny," said Percy stiffly, "What on earth is _that?"_

Ron thought his sister was probably glaring at Percy. He couldn't tell, he was too busy staring at Hermione.

"It's a bikini Percy."

"It looks like string."

"What type of string do _you use_?!"

Hermione and Ginny were both dressed in Bikinis. It was something Ron had never witnessed on either his sister or girlfriend…or anybody for that matter. Ginny's was blue but Hermione's'….Hermione's' was red. A perfect red bikini that hugged her chest with bottoms that was like a very, very, very small pair of shorts that emphasised her bum and her legs. It looked fantastic on her. Why hadn't she ever worn red before? Why hadn't she ever worn anything else? How on earth had he gone so long with seeing her jumpers and trousers and school uniform? Ron didn't know but there she was, lying down in front of the van which they had parked on the edge of beach on a towel wearing what was the best item of clothing any muggle had ever invented in Rons' opinion.

They had stopped on their long journey to Canberra at a very nice looking beach. Hermione had complained that she was getting tired to drive and after George took over and he had complained that he was tired too, Harry had suggested that they pull over.

They had all decided to take a break on a beach that been on the road towards Canberra. It was a small beach but one which was quiet. They'd parked the van in the car park and had sat down on some towels Hermione had brought while Percy conjured up some food and drinks.

It was a pity that that wasn't what Percy was bothered about now.

"Ginny what you are wearing is rather indecent!"

"You _look_ indecent Percy but you don't see me complaining!"

"What's wrong with me?"

"Your face."

Ron couldn't keep his eyes off Hermione. She looked fantastic. He was trying so very hard not to jump on her and kiss her madly, run his hands up her legs and across her chest right in front of his family and Harry.

He could tell Hermione felt nervous about wearing the bikini. She was reading a book but she kept shifting her body every so often and glancing around nervously at everyone. She kept putting the book on her legs and putting a hand across her stomach as if that would hide the site of her in what was practically nothing.

She looked beautiful. Ron had to keep reminding himself not to stare at her so openly. He supposed looking at Hermione in a bikini kept Ron's mind off other things….like Kingsley's letter for instance.

Ron hadn't given much thought to the letters which had come their way a couple of days ago. Nobody had for that matter, neither he, or Harry or Hermione had mentioned it either. They seemed to have confined themselves to not saying anything and merely commenting on the radio. Hermione had gotten "another letter" yesterday and so far she'd failed to mention it to anyone. Ron wondered if she'd talked to George about it seeing how the two of them were becoming quite friendly lately.

As far as Ron was concerned, his letters were in his bag that contained all his belongings for the trip and he wasn't going to take them out. If Harry and Hermione weren't going to talk about it either, neither was he.

Even though he couldn't stop thinking about what the letter contained.

He was being offered a position at the Auour Academy! He was being offered another year at Hogwarts!

Ron couldn't think what to do. What did Hermione want to do? What did Harry want to do? Why, he thought, did he have to think of what his friends wanted to do before he made his decision?

Because you're three, a voice in his head said, you've always been together.

Ron knew that was very true.

"Ginny, it isn't prudent for a witch to wear that sort of clothing."

"What is this the 19th Century? You want me to start wearing a long skirt everywhere and have a wizard take me everywhere?"

"George! George, tell me you think her bikini is indecent!"

"Huh?" George sounded distant.

"I think it's awesome."

"Shut up Lee."

"Harry, surely you don't want your girlfriend exposing herself in front of everyone?"

There was a pause.

"Harry?"

Another pause.

"_Harry?"_

"Eh?" asked Harry in a distant manner.

"We'll take that as a yes then," said Ginny smugly.

Lee snickered.

Ron took his eyes off Hermione to look at Harry. His best friend was currently staring at Ginny with an open mouth and glazed eyes. He looked rather lustful.

"Harry stop staring at my sister like that." snapped Percy, "She's not a piece of meat."

"Excuse me?" Harry asked distractedly, turning around to look at Percy and blinking rapidly.

"Oh forget it." Percy snapped glaring at Harry.

Harry went back to staring at Ginny.

Ron glared at Harry. He couldn't stop Harry from looking at Ginny, but he could stop his best friend from looking at his sister like she was the latest broomstick that he wanted to….

_Do not make a dirty joke about your sister_, a voice in Ron's head snapped.

_Yuk! _

George obviously wasn't interested in Harry and Ginny's relationship but Ron was. Harry was looking at Ginny like Ron had been looking at Hermione a couple of minutes ago.

Or perhaps he too was trying not to think about the letters Kingsley had sent to him, thought Ron wryly.

"Mate," Ron said in a steely voice, "Stop that."

Harry jumped and threw him a startled look. Ron guessed he hadn't thought that Ron would notice him eyeing up Ginny. Harry went a red colour and blushed, shifting uncomfortably in his sitting position.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly to Ron.

You bet you'll be sorry if you don't stop it, thought Ron.

Ron threw Harry a pointed look and turned back to lying on the towel, glancing every so often to check that Harry wasn't drooling over his sister anymore.

It was rather uncomfortable watching Harry look at Ginny. Disgusting was rather the word.

While Ron was used to Harry and Ginny together, seeing them kiss and hold hands, it wasn't nice to see Harry practically drool over Ginny. Looking like he wanted to do to Ginny like Ron wanted to do to Hermione. It was still something he was trying to adjust to.

There was a comfortable silence as everyone settled down to relax, staring around themselves and looking content. Ron looked around the beach, noting with interest the children digging holes in the sand, the other very scantily clad women, the muggles playing a game with a ball and people jumping and screaming as they jumped in the water and splashing in the waves. He looked back at Hermione, still engrossed with her book.

She really was beautiful. Ron wanted to go and tell her, but things had been a bit, _awkward_, lately. _Very _awkward would be the right word.

And he didn't have a clue why.

Since the awkward conversation in the hostel, Hermione and been acting slightly embarrassed around him. She went red every time Ron came near and they'd yet to share the same bed since they'd left England. Luckily, there had been a lot driving and sleeping which meant that so far there had been hardly any chance for a proper conversation. When they did speak, it was awkward, tense and plain annoying. They'd stopped at a diner yesterday for dinner and Hermione had blushed when her hand had touched his as they'd brushed hands passing the salt. When they went to bed she gave him a chaste kiss on the cheek and didn't say anything to him. When they did speak, she would avert her eyes. Even when she tried to talk to him she muddled up her words. It was very not Hermione……and very bloody annoying!

Ron was confused as to why this was. What was it that he has said that day that had annoyed her? Why couldn't she talk to him about it whatever it was?

_You could talk to her about it_, a voice in his head said.

_I'm a man,_ he told the voice back, _and I'll sit and brood. _

Of course, he thought, Hermione was a woman and therefore also expecting him to do all the talking.

Typical, he thought.

"I want to do something."

It was Lee, no surprise there.

"It only took you five minutes," Ginny commented dryly.

"What exactly do you want to do?" asked Harry, sitting up on his elbows and staring at Lee.

Lee looked blank. He seemed to stare around the beach for inspiration before his eyes widened and he whipped his head around to stare at Harry.

"Let's go in the water!" he said excitedly.

There was a flurry of reaction from the rest of the group.

"I'm up for that!" said Ginny happily grinning at Lee.

"I'll come!" said Harry quickly with a glance at Ginny.

Yeah, I'll bet he wants to go swimming, thought Ron darkly, even though a voice in his head was telling him that Hermione would also be going swimming in a bikini.

"I bet the water's very hot." said Percy thoughtfully, "The country does have an average temperature of 50 Celsius with a lot of high pressure systems."

"There's something freakish about you, you know that?" said Lee to Percy, looking at him uneasily.

"Wanna go George?" Lee asked his best friend.

George looked at him, taking his eye of whatever far distant thing he was staring at.

"Meh." He said with a shrug.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Lee brightly.

George looked away again.

"Coming, Hermione?" Percy asked her.

Hermione looked up from her book, looked at the water and shook her head.

"No," she said, "I'm scared of the sea,"she added to Lee sheepishly.

There was a surprised silence.

"You're scared of the sea?" Ginny asked her uncomprehendely.

Hermione nodded vigorously.

"There are some issues with sharks," she said seriously.

They all stared at her. Ron raised his eyebrows.

"So, what?" asked Ginny, "A shark insulted you or something?"

"No!" said Hermione, half laughing.

"You said you had issues!"

"I mean I'm scared of them!"

Hermione was scared of sharks?, thought Ron. Why on earth would someone who lived in Oxford be scared of Sharks?

"You're scared of Sharks?" Harry asked her in surprise, "I never knew that!"

Hermione looked embarrassed.

"I seen a muggle film about a shark when I was kid," she said to them, "I got really scared and I haven't managed to get over it."

"What's a film?" asked Ginny frowning.

"It's like a moving story that's on screen." Harry told Ginny, "Muggles go to see them in theatres and stuff."

"The film's horrible!" said Hermione insistently, "It's about a shark that goes around eating people!"

"But Hermione," said Percy with a frown, "Sharks don't eat people. Their regular eating habits include sea lions and fish!"

"What did you swallow a book before you came here?" Lee asked Percy incredulously.

"But they sometimes eat people!" Hermione said to Percy hotly, "Sometimes they bite off their legs and attack small children!" she added dramatically.

"Oh come on Hermione-"

Hermione sat up on her knees, looking down at them all with a defiant scared look on her face.

"It's true!" she cried, "A shark can smell a drop of blood a mile away. It can sense a floundering animal miles away so that it can attack it! That means if you're flapping around in the water it'll come after you!"

Ron thought that sounded very untrue.

"So if I make Percy flap around in the water a shark'll eat him?" Ginny asked with interest.

Hermione nodded. Ginny turned and gave Percy an evil grin. Even George raised an eyebrow and looked curiously at Percy.

"Hey!" cried Percy in terror, looking around at his sibling's defensively.

Harry fixed Hermione with an understanding look.

"You're scared of Jaws aren't you?" he asked Hermione.

"Yes," said Hermione darkly.

"That's the name of the film." Harry explained to the others when they threw the pair of them a confused look.

"It's horrible!" said Hermione, "The shark has this creepy theme music that comes on every time it gets near anyone! When I used to go in the sea on holiday that's all I can hear!"

"_Dum Dum, Dum Dum, Dum Dum Dum Dum!" _sang Harry with a giggle.

"Stop it!" Hermione shuddered and snapped. Harry laughed at her.

"Sharks don't have theme music." Ginny said thoughtfully.

"This one does." Hermione said darkly.

"We should rent it out from the video store," Harry told the others, "Then you can watch it."

"I won't be watching it." Hermione declared in a scared voice.

Lee seemed to become impatient with the conversation and rolled his eyes.

"So, are we going in the sea or not?" he asked them all impatiently.

"I'm coming," said Ginny happily and the others all agreed too.

Ron looked at Hermione, now settling down to read her book and looking grateful that she wasn't being asked to join the group. He glanced at the others as they got to their feet, stripping off into swimming shorts and talking about jumping in the water and, rather quietly, pushing Percy in. Percy was looking fearfully at the water and even George was eyeing the water critically.

Ron looked back at Hermione, still reading her book and not noticing that Ron was the only one not getting dressed.

"Are you coming Ron?" Harry asked him, standing in front of him in a pair of blue swimming shorts.

Ron thought that if he stayed, it might be the only chance he got to actually have a talk with Hermione instead of awkward conversation. They needed to sort it out.

Seizing upon the chance, Ron said, "Nah mate you go on."

He seen Hermione look at him out of the corner of her eyes in alarm. Ron could have swore that Harry threw him an understanding smile.

"Suit yourself." He said to Ron and bounded off after the others who were heading towards the sea.

Ron looked round at Hermione, now staring at him and blushing bright red.

* ***********************************

"Look Percy a whale!"

"What? Where-AH!"

_Splash_!

Percy fell in the sea with a splash, sitting up and spitting out sea water and glaring at them all. Harry snickered along with Lee and Ginny, standing on the sand and looking down at Percy who was now soaking wet. Even a five year old beside them burst into hysterics. George didn't laugh but his mouth wore a small smile. It still didn't reach his eyes though.

"That was unnecessary!" Percy spat at the others from the ground, wiping sopping hair out of his face and sand out of his face.

"That was very necessary!" Ginny told Percy confidently.

"I beg to differ."

Lee roared with laugher and walked straight into the water before diving right in. Harry and Ginny followed and George went next, staring in disdain as people swam past him.

The water was warm, thought Harry as he dived into the water, getting a hazy look at the bottom of the ocean before popping up for air. He compared this experience to the last time he had jumped into water, off a dragon and into a freezing pool to get the Gryffindor Sword.

Not like that now, thought Harry brightly. He watched as the others all settled themselves into the water, enjoying the warm water and floating on the surface. Even George lay flat on his back and kicked his feet a small smile. For a good fifteen minutes they spent the time jumping into the water, pushing Percy into the water and trying to swim beneath the legs of others, pointing out fish to one another and splashing water at Percy.

In general, everyone just annoyed Percy for fifteen minutes.

In general, Harry stared at Ginny for fifteen minutes.

Harry didn't care if Ron, Percy or George caught him staring at their sister. His girlfriend looked amazing in what she was wearing. If Ron was allowed to stare at Hermione like he wanted to kiss her then, he, Harry, was going to do the same. Ginny wearing a bikini was utterly the best thing he'd ever seen his girlfriend in. It made her look utterly beautiful. It was bad enough that he was trying to hold back from touching her or kissing her this trip, mainly thanks to Ron, Percy and George (apparently nearly dying and saving the world wasn't a perquisite for kissing his girlfriend), but now Ginny was wearing a bikini and flapping around in the water.

He wasn't sure he could take it anymore.

"We should pretend that Harry got eaten by a shark," Ginny said to Lee with a giggle, "And tell Hermione."

"All he has to do is just flounder around in the water!" Lee added with a laugh.

Ginny giggled, lying on her back so that her hair splayed out behind her in the water like rippling fire.

"Remember when Viktor Krum turned into a shark in the Triwizard?" she said, "Someone should do that and get Hermione into the water!"

"She'd probably faint," said Lee to Ginny, sounding unconcerned.

"So would Ron!" Ginny chortled.

"We really are taking pleasure from the idea of Hermione getting scared." Harry said to them amusingly.

"The girl's asking for it," Lee said with a chuckle, "Who gets scared of a shark called Jaws!"

"I think it would be fascinating to see a shark," said Percy bracingly.

"Well then, you can say hi to it while we run away Percy," said Ginny with a giggle.

Harry laughed along with everyone else while Percy attempted to snap back at Ginny. He lay on his back, kicked his feet to stay afloat and stared up at the sky and the sun that beat down upon him. It was a nice feeling.

Well, he thought, it was certainly a change from last year.

And what to do with the letters that Kingsley had sent? Harry ran his fingers across the surface of the water thinking about the letters that were lying in the pocket of his shorts.

Auour? Another year at Hogwarts? A job in one of the many departments of the Ministry that he had been offered to work in?

Harry could only imagine what Ron and Hermione were thinking, or at least he thought he might know what they were thinking. He hadn't spoken to them about the matter since they'd got their letters. There seemed to be some unspoken agreement not to talk about it all.

In thinking about the letters, Harry thought wryly that he could just take a year off and do nothing. He wistfully imagined himself spending his year off by getting his own place and having Ginny all to himself.

Don't be stupid, Harry thought sadly, Ginny'll be going back to Hogwarts.

He sighed quietly and flicked his fingers at the water absently. Ginny going back to Hogwarts was the one big cloud on the horizon. Hermione had every excuse not to go back to Hogwarts, Ginny didn't. Harry knew he couldn't talk her out of it and he wouldn't want to do that anyway.

_But don't you want to go back to Hogwarts? _

He didn't know. Harry answered himself truthfully, he wasn't sure; he wasn't really sure what he wanted for lunch later on. KFC or McDonalds? It was a tough choice to make.

An Auour was always what he had wanted to do. The one thing that had always occupied his mind at school, the one thing he had always dreamed of doing. It was great that he would be able to get in without having to suffer another year at school but did he really just want to jump straight into a job? Did he really want to work at the Ministry which would probably be just as corrupt and just as frustrating as what he'd always thought of it?

_Splash!_

"_Oof!" _

The beach ball flew out of nowhere, hitting George on the head as he floated on the water nearby. It caused water to splash all over Harry who found more sea water than he'd like to fall into his mouth. George sat up, spluttering sea water down his chin and out of his mouth.

"What the…."

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Watch were you're throwing the ball you…oh."

George stopped yelling and Harry turned to see why.

It was her. The American girl.

*

It was terrible that she was using the book as help in this matter. Damm Harper Lee for writing something that could be transferred to later life. Damm Gregory Peck for being that good looking that her mother insisted that she read the book over and over again.

When Hermione had gotten the letter this morning it had only made her more depressed. The letter brought with it another offer of a job, another offer to go and work in the Ministry and this time, with a department she had once said she would never work for.

She wasn't going to accept the offer, but the letter made it even more glaringly obvious to her that she needed to make a decision about her life. She didn't really know what to do with herself and it seemed her idea of just putting off the decision until they returned to the UK wasn't a good one.

Why had she thought the book would help?

Hermione lowered her eyes back to her book and shifted uncomfortably on the spot, aware of Ron's eyes on her. It was bad enough that she was worried about her life choices without being talked into wearing this god awful bikini. She felt uncomfortable without Ron staring at her too.

Oh why did he have to stay? His gaze was making her go red and hot around the face. She'd never worn anything remotely as scandalous as this in front of him before. It was already awkward around them both without her wearing a bikini too! She could feel his eyes as they trailed down over her body. It made her feel hot and bothered.

Ever since her and Ron's argument in the hostel they had both been incredibly awkward around each other. Or rather Hermione was being awkward around Ron. She knew she was being childish, embarrassed at what Ron had said to her and incredibly flattered at the same time, but she didn't know what to say to him. What do you say to your boyfriend after he talks about sex in the context of you?

Thank you?

That didn't feel right.

The truth was Hermione didn't really know what to say to Ron. She felt awkward about what Ron had brought up, about what he had been implying. Yes, she had snogged Viktor Krum quite a few times but that was all the experience that she had. Ron had had Lavender and had probably done twice the amount of snogging and, she feared, a lot more than Hermione had ever done. That scared her. What if Ron was ahead of her in this relationship? Ready to go further? Ready to be serious before she was?

How were you supposed to have this sort of conversation with someone, thought Hermione wildly? Book smart she may be, she had never been in a proper relationship before. Ron made her feel things she'd never felt before and they'd came close to, going further than they'd have originally intended many times.

"Whatcha reading?"

He spoke to her in a cheery voice. Hermione felt herself go red. So, he was going to talk to her then? Damn.

"It's a fiction book." She told Ron without staring at him, "A muggle one. I bought it at that shop we stopped at yesterday"

"What's it about?"

Hermione shifted on the spot and glanced up at Ron who was still sitting on top of his towel. He was watching her with a bemused look on his face, hands lying on top of his knees and his toes digging into the sand.

Hermione glanced down at the front cover of the book, looking into Gregory Pecks face and the edges of the book which were now bent because she had been reading it so intently.

"It's called 'To Kill a Mockingbird'," she said to Ron, "It's a book I haven't read in ages."

"What happens in it?" Ron asked her, staring at her in interest. Hermione looked at him uncertainly. He wanted to talk about the book? After she had been ignoring him for a couple of days? Was this some way of getting her to talk to him?

It seemed to be working.

Ron looked at her expectantly and Hermione found herself awkwardly telling Ron about the book she had bought for more reasons than she'd like to admit.

"It's about a lawyer." She said to Ron eventually, "and his children who lives in Alabama in America in the 1930's. The children have lots of different adventures but that's not the interesting thing in the story."

Ron stared at her expectantly.

"And?" he pressed, "What is the most interesting thing in the story?"

Hermione glared at him. Pushy git, she thought.

"You're never interested in what I read," she pointed out to him.

"I'm engaging in new hobbies" Ron said sarcastically, "Tell me."

She threw him a withering look.

"Well, in the story," Hermione said, "the lawyer has to take on the case of a black man who's accused of raping a white woman. All the evidence suggests that the man is innocent. In fact it's pretty much proven that the man is innocent. But because he's black he's automatically guilty. The woman's word is taken above his at all times because she's white."

Ron's eyes flew to his head. He looked shocked.

"It used to happen all the time," Hermione said to him slowly, "Sometimes it still happens now."

Ron looked disgusted.

"So, what happens?" he asked her, nodding at the book.

"Well," Hermione said," the lawyer is a good man and he doesn't believe that this is right. So instead of passing on the case to someone else or not working hard enough to help his client, he works hard to prove that he is innocent. He shows respect towards his client and to those of colour, something not many people at this time would have done. He's a moral man. He's a good man and he believes fiercely in what he does."

Ron lay back on his towel and stared at her. He was obviously taking in what she'd just said.

"Why is it such a good book then?" he asked.

"Because, for me, Atticus Finch the lawyer, is such a good man. A man who demonstrates the way the law should work. That the law shouldn't work in favour of others instead of working for all. That we should understand others and why they act. My favourite line is that "You can never judge someone until you walked around in their skin for day." I believe that's true. I don't think we should judge people on their skin colour, or religion or blood purity…." She finished angrily and gave a large sigh. "I just like it," Hermione said to Ron with finality.

"Sounds like a good book," said Ron.

Hermione stared at him and then down at the book, feeling guilty as to why she had bought the book in the first place. She had to tell him about the letter didn't she?

"I got a letter from the department of Magical Law yesterday," she said to him.

Ron's head jerked upwards to stare at her in shock.

"A job offer?" he asked.

Hermione nodded.

Something seemed to dawn on Ron's face.

"That's why you bought the book?" he exclaimed happily, "Looking for a bit of inspiration in Attic France?" he asked.

"Atticus Finch."

"Yeah, him."

"Not exactly,"

There was a tentative silence as they stared at each other. Ron looked innocently curious. Hermione could feel the question between them, unspoken and unsaid.

"So," asked Ron slowly, "What _are_ you going to do? About jobs and things?"

Hermione gripped the book tightly and stared straight at the words on the page. They seemed to blur before her eyes.

That was the million dollar question wasn't it?

"What do _you_ want to do?" she asked him more forcefully than she intended.

Ron looked uneasy. He dug his hands into the sand and looked away from her. She could see his eyes staring determidly at the towel. It was obvious he'd either made up his mind or didn't want to talk about it.

"Dunno," he said in a muffled voice.

"Well then," Hermione stated firmly, "I don't know either."

She went back to her book and he went back to picking at the sand. Neither of them looked at each other.

Great, thought Hermione angrily, that was one way of having a discussion about our relationship.

She couldn't wait to find her parents.

******************************************************************

"Well…hi there."

"Wow! What are you guys doing here?"

Harry's mouth dropped as he stared at the blonde American girl who had been with them back in Melbourne. She was dressed in a very tiny bikini, that same bright smile across her face. Percy was looking at her like she'd just told him that she'd read his cauldron report and Lee was gazing at her friends who were coming up behind her.

"Oh bollocks," Harry heard Ginny snap as the rest of the girls all reached Kaitlin.

"W-what are you doing here?" Percy stammered to Kaitlin, "I thought you were going elsewhere?"

Kaitlin turned to look at Percy and gave a little start, as if she hadn't noticed that he was standing there. She looked rather embarrassed as he stared at her, blushing and ducking her head as he stared at her. She looked as if she'd just seem him for the first time, unsure and wary.

"Hi there!" she exclaimed to him in a shaky voice and frowning at him. Percy merely beamed at her, oblivious to her state.

"What are you lot doing here?"

Kaitlin's friends beamed around at all of them brightly, smiling round at each of them. Each of them was wearing bikinis or bikini tops and very, very small shorts.

"How awesome is it that you lot are here?" one of the girls said happily, "I didn't think we'd meet you again!"

"Are you enjoying your trip?" another asked.

They were so enthusiastic, thought Harry staring at one of the girls who seemed to be continually smiling. He wondered if that was just Americans in general.

"I think it's awesome that you lot are here too!" Lee said to the girls with a large swagger in his voice and with a laugh that was way over the top to be natural.

"When have you ever used the word awesome?" said George to Lee irritably.

"Where are you lot staying?" Kaitlin asked them with interest, "We're staying in this little youth hostel in like a 10 person dorm!"

"Van," barked out Percy erratically, "I mean-we're staying in a van."

Percy looked very nervous. He was trying very unsuccessfully to smile around at the girls and not drool at the same time. He kept irritably running his hands through the water and trying to find a casual way to stand.

"You're staying in a van?" Kaitlin asked them all, looking shocked, "That's awful!"

"It's not that bad," Ginny said irritably, glaring over at her.

They ignored her.

An idea seemed to come to one of the girls who squealed suddenly, excitedly grabbing onto her friends arm and looking like she couldn't wait to speak.

"You lot should stay with us!" she cried excitedly to them all, "We're leaving tomorrow to go someplace else but totally have room in our hotel!" She looked around at her friends for support, "Isn't that right?"

Kaitlin grinned and looked between Ginny and Percy, her eyes lighting up.

"Yes!" she squealed to them, "Come stay with us for the night! We have alcohol! We'll have a party!"

Harry couldn't think of anything worse than staying with a bunch of hyped up girls, especially these four. If they squealed like that one more time he might just have entice a shark over. Ginny and George looked like they didn't want to join the girls either but Lee and Percy's eyes had lit up.

"That's a brilliant idea!" Lee cried to the girls in bravado, turning round to the others with a grin on his face.

"Fantastic!" Percy added, nodding his head so quickly it became a blur.

Harry, George and Ginny glared at them pointedly.

"Erm, Percy," said Ginny a forced politeness, "We're not just on a holiday in this…."

"I'm sure that all of us would _love_ to come stay at your place for the night!" Lee butted into Ginny's speech enthusiastically, turning again to the others with a pointed grin, "Goodness knows I don't want end up sleeping beside Percy's smelly feet again!"

"I don't have smelly feet."

"Yes, you do."

"We really need to check with Hermione before we make any decision regarding sleeping arrangements." Harry told the girls who were looking curiously between Percy and Lee.

"No we don't," Lee and Percy said together angrily.

They regarded each other with narrowed eyes.

"It's entirely up to you guys if you'd like to stay with us!" one of the girls piped up, "Don't feel any pressure!"

"I think it would be great to sleep in their place tonight don't you think?" Percy asked the others. He began to wink at Harry, George and Ginny rather exuberantly, obviously trying to get them to agree with him. It was that obvious that the American girls stared at him in interest.

"Got something in your eye Perce?" George asked him pointedly.

"No," said Percy unconvincingly.

George rolled his eyes.

"I think it's an offer we can't refuse," Lee said to the others briskly, "If you lot don't go I'm going to go anyway."

"Me too!" said Percy enthusiastically.

"Great!" squealed the girls happily all clapping and giggling away.

Oh Hermione is going to kill us, thought Harry.

Angrily, Ginny beckoned Lee and Percy towards her. She glared at each of them and steered them around in the water so that their backs were facing the American girls.

"_We need to check with Hermione_!" Ginny hissed to Lee and Percy furiously, "You can't just say we're going somewhere! We have to get to Canberra! We're here to get Hermione's parents!"

"We've got all summer!" Lee hissed back, "I've got girls on tap right now!"

"It makes perfect sense to go and stay with them!" Percy implored, "We have beds to sleep in instead of the van and we get to have nice company!"

"Company?" Ginny said sarcastically, "You two just want to get some!"

Everyone stared at her. Harry hadn't realised his girlfriend had dirty jokes in her vocabulary.

Ginny looked exasperated.

"Oh for gods sake,!" she snapped, "I grew up with Charlie. You don't think I know how guys work?"

"Fair point,"

"Whatever."

"We're not staying with them!" George told Percy and Lee, "I don't care if they ask us naked. I'm not staying with a bunch of giggling idiots!"

"They're not idiots!" Percy snapped at George, "You're just saying that cus they're American!"

"Says the man who thinks the British Empire should be reinstated!"

"Oh shut it you two," Harry said to George and Percy, "We're not staying with them and that's final!"

Lee and Percy looked incensed. They looked at each other and something seemed to pass between them. Looking at the others with grins they turned to the girls.

"We'll just go get our stuff!"

"So, where are you staying?"

Harry, Ginny and George gaped at them.

Hermione was going to kill them.

**********************************************

R&r


End file.
